Reunion
by UTsSmutQueen
Summary: A mistake - maybe. But all teenagers are entitled to make a few. Starts with a flashback then moves to the present; based around a small town high school reunion, a funeral, and unfinished business. I still suck at summaries. Suffice to say, it's a Taker fic, but AU. RL permitting, I'm baaaaack
1. Chapter 1

Reunion

The Past

1.

Avery Morgan sighed and slammed her locker door. She'd just finished her last final of the year, and the school had seen fit to save the worst for last. Honors calculus. She was sure she had passed but it was her weakest subject, and the test had given her a headache trying to keep all the rules straight.

Traffic in the hallway was conspicuously missing. The seniors finished their finals the day before and were partaking in a school tradition known as senior skip day. Most of them had driven a few hours to the nearest amusement park to spend the day blowing off steam and celebrating. Others had gone south a few hours to the beach. Technically, Avery could had joined them. Even though she was sixteen, and technically a sophomore, she was taking senior classes and would be graduating early.

She smirked to herself. Who was she kidding? Even if the dreaded calc final had been Monday instead of Friday, she would have still showed up at school. A tragic downside of being the daughter of the principal. That and she wouldn't have been able to enjoy it. She would have felt guilty.

Besides that, who would she have gone with? Her group of friends were mostly sophomores. She was tutoring a couple of seniors to make a little money, but she wouldn't necessarily consider them friends. Well. Except for maybe Mark Calaway.

Avery grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She was seriously trying not to think too hard about Mark. She had a crush on him. Except she was pretty sure it was more than just a crush at this point. Just thinking about him could put butterflies in her belly.

He was one of the jock-types at school. Tall, muscular. He played baseball and basketball. Had in fact been approached about possibly getting a basketball scholarship. His grades hadn't been quite there though. Schools overlooked some grades, but he was carrying a low C-average and while he was a solid player, he wasn't exactly a star. So to get a full ride, he had to get his GPA up. Right before Christmas he had approached Avery in the hall and had asked, almost shyly, if she would be willing to help him out.

The shyness was what got her. He was one of the popular kids in school, and had no shortage of girls drooling after him. She'd seen him around town, courting a different girl every other week. The bashfulness took her by surprise. So Avery had agreed. He needed help with English, Lit, and history; he had a pretty decent grip on his science class. Ironically he had no problem with math, for which she was forever grateful. The rest was just practice and memorization, which Avery found easy to teach. So they had met every Tuesday and Thursday after school in the library for 2 hours. It wasn't all work either. They actually got to talking. Mark was reluctant to talk about himself at first, it seemed to make him uncomfortable. She did learn that his real father had passed away when he was five, and that his mother had remarried. And he did not get along with his stepfather, which was why the scholarship was so important. Rob Williams wasn't going to put up a dime more than he had to when it came to his stepson, and since he controlled the bank accounts Mark's mother Elizabeth couldn't help him either.

He wouldn't say much more on the subject of his family. Sore subject. Obviously there was resentment and other issues. On a few occasions Avery was almost sure she had seen faded bruises on Mark that weren't caused by overzealous basketball players. She learned not to bring it up, because he would just shut down. And then he'd cut their sessions short and wander off.

At that point, Avery was hooked on him. She looked forward to their sessions the way some girls looked forward to Saturday night dates. Unlike some girls her age, with their head in the clouds, Avery was well aware that Mark was out of her league. He was older, she wasn't the cheerleader type, and she was pretty sure he viewed her strictly as a resource to help get him the hell out of town. It didn't stop her from cultivating a butterfly garden every time she was around him though.

It wasn't like she was a slug or something. Avery knew she had to stop putting herself down whenever she thought about boys. While she wasn't a bubbly blond cheerleader, she wasn't that horrible looking. Long chestnut hair, dark blue eyes. She had been taking dance classes since the age of 6, which she loved even though she was told by her mother that she lacked any real talent to be a dancer. The dancing kept her on the slim side. She would classify everything else about her as average. Height. Build.

So she had no illusion that Mark could ever be interested in her. Not only was she a plain-jane; she was the principal's daughter. It was worse than being a leper in high school dating circles. Every single boy in school avoided her like the plague, including the ones she'd gone to elementary and middle school with. Avery knew her dad could be intimidating but that was just for show at the school. At home he was a teddy bear, often spending time with Avery and her brother Joe, trying to build them up when her perfectionist of a mother, Suzanne, tried to tear them down. She understood that her mother was just trying to make sure her children were living up to their potential, but Avery thought there had to be a better way to do it.

She looked around, realizing that while she'd been lost in thought, she had wandered most of the way home. Her guardian angel must have been with her. She couldn't remember crossing a single road. Shaking her head, Avery made a beeline for her house, a large 2-story Victorian set back from the road. No cars were in the driveway. Her father was still at the school. That meant that her mother was not home. She breathed a sigh of relief. Avery loved her mother to pieces but it was always nice to get a break from all the questions that she asked. Not only about school but about her grades, the dancing, even her tutoring.

Suzanne made no secret of the fact that she didn't think Avery should be tutoring boys, and especially not Mark. While he was popular at school, he didn't come from one of the 'good' families, in Suzanne's estimation. She would turn her nose up at the mention of of the Williams family, hinting in a roundabout way that the family was full of alcoholics, and that she had heard rumors about what Mark did with girls when he was alone with them. Even the fact that Mark didn't use his stepfather's name was a point of contention with Suzanne.

Avery thought that was bullshit. She went to school with him and there were no rumors about Mark. About some of the other guys, sure. Jon Ashton was one. He had the womanizing reputation that Suzanne often tried to pin on Mark. But his family was rich, so Suzanne never brought it up.

Avery had discovered a long time ago that her mother was a complete snob.

She stopped in the kitchen and grabbed an apple to snack on, reading over the note hanging on the fridge. Avery cocked an eyebrow. Her mother and Joe were going to drive a few counties away and visit Janette, Suzanne's sister, for the weekend. Grateful she hadn't been dragged into _that_ road trip, Avery bit into her apple and headed upstairs to her room.

She had dance class that afternoon, so she quickly got into her usual gear; shorts and a tank top. Usually her mother would drive her to class, grumbling about how Avery _could_ be better if she applied herself more, but she would _never_ be truly great because it just didn't come to her naturally. Avery just liked to dance. She liked to get lost in the music. She wasn't trying to make a career out of it. She figured she'd probably end up being a teacher. She was good at tutoring and didn't mind the work. It didn't necessarily spark a great passion in her, but she figured that sort of thing really only happened to a handful of people. She picked up her gym bag, tucked in her dance shoes and a towel as well as a few bottles of water, and headed out again, enjoying the feel of the warm May sunshine on her shoulders as she walked toward town. It was a bit over half a mile from her house, and she knew that after class the walk home would not be nearly as peppy. She'd be tired. But it would be worth it for the break from her mother's odd form of affection.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Two hours later, flushed and tired but still full of energy, Avery damn near danced her way home. Contrary to what her mother believed, Danielle – the woman who had owned and taught at their small dance school since the beginning of time, in Avery's view – believed that Avery was a fantastic dancer. So good in fact she wanted her to perform a solo at their next recital, music and choreography to be chosen by Avery. It wasn't performing a Las Vegas show or anything but it was something that she had wanted since she had attended her first bitty-ballerina class way back in first grade.

She practically floated through dinner with her dad. He was as excited as she was. Avery tried to rein it in, she had until August after all. But she couldn't help herself. She was too proud to just keep it low-key.

"Your mother would like us to join her at Janelle's in the morning." Ted Morgan shared his daughter's dark blue eyes and lopsided smile. They also shared a dimple on the left cheek. His hair was a sandy blond, just starting to turn gray. Avery thought he resembled Robert Redford, right down to the ruddy skin. A couple of her friends agreed.

She couldn't help but make a face as she cleared dishes. "And here I thought I was going to get to avoid that."

"You might yet." Ted winked and loaded the dishwasher. "I was thinking I might head down tonight. And pretend I never intercepted the answering machine. I know you'd rather spend the weekend plotting your big moment."

Avery grinned. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. I expect the house to still be standing when we get back Sunday, of course. No wild parties. No boys."

"Yeah, right." She rolled her eyes. "This is the equivalent of the town haunted house. Kids cross the road so they don't walk on our sidewalk out of fear."

"And we'd like to keep it that way." Ted laughed. "I trust you. Your mother does too, even if she doesn't know how to just come out and say it. I'll leave you some money for pizza or a burger for tomorrow, and you can fend for yourself and practice dancing around the house."

"I have money." The upside of no social life meant that Avery had banked her tutoring money. Besides buying the odd piece of clothing on occasion, her debts were completely covered by her parents. Even her college fund was taken care of in the event that she was denied a scholarship. Avery wasn't worried about that. She was a straight-A student with an unblemished record, good extracurriculars, and was an ace at writing essays. She fully expected to hear something within the next week or so. She was younger than the average freshman, yes, but she was smarter than most of the graduating seniors that year.

"Listen kiddo, enjoy the free ride while it lasts." Ted laughed and gave her a one-armed hug. "I'm going to go pack. Unless you want to go?"

"Ugh. No thanks." Avery didn't need the pressure. Suzanne was a perfectionist. Janette was worse. And to top it off, Janette _was_ a dancer. Retired now but had been trained in classical ballet.

So she would have a quiet weekend. Or a boring one. Once her father had left, Avery settled in to watch a movie, munching on popcorn. Feeling lonely. She could have called Ellie, her best friend, but Ellie was most likely out with David, her boyfriend. It was Friday night after all. It was nearing 11 when Avery decided to call it a night. The stress of testing, and the fun of dancing, and now she was tired.

She had just settled in when her phone rang. That figured. Avery grumbled and got up, fully expecting her mother to be checking in. She didn't usually but there was always a first time.

"Hello?" She said, stifling a yawn when she picked up the phone.

There was a moment of quiet. "Hey."

Oh lord. The butterflies had appeared. It was Mark. She knew it in just that one word. He had a distinctively deep voice.

"Hey." She said it back because it seemed he was waiting for her to say something.

He took a long pause. Long enough that she started to worry he might have hung up. "Did I wake you up?" There was something in his voice. Something not quite right. Avery frowned.

"Nope. I was heading to bed but not sleeping. What's up?"

"Can we meet?"

Now it was Avery's turn to take a long pause. Meet? As in...meet somewhere? "Uh..."

"You don't...I'm not..." He was stumbling over his words. Avery wondered if he'd been drinking. "It's my birthday."

"Oh?" That meant he'd turned nineteen. She should have known. Should have gotten him a gift or something. And maybe he had been drinking. He looked older than he was. "Happy birthday?" She made it a question.

"Can I come pick you up?" There was an emotional hitch in his voice, once that Avery couldn't place. Her heart broke for him. Whatever was going on, it was eating him up inside.

"Sure. Give me a minute to get dressed."

"All right." She heard the soft click as he hung up and stood staring at the phone in her hand. If he had been drinking she really shouldn't get in the car with him, but then again he sounded like he really needed someone to talk to. She could keep him in the driveway and see if he wanted to spill it.

She went to her room and rummaged in her closet, pulling out a dark blue sundress. She had planned to wear it the next day, so figured she'd just go ahead and tug it on. She slipped into a pair of sandals, grabbed her copy of the house key and small purse, and stepped out onto the front porch. Mark was already there, his dark car idling in the driveway. It was dark out but was still warm with the heat of the day. Avery went to the driver's side door and leaned down, peering in at him.

"Are you all right?" She asked, taking in the set of his jaw. He was definitely fighting something.

"No. Not really." He still sounded off. Upset but trying to hold onto it. Avery couldn't smell alcohol either, so he hadn't been drinking.

"So where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere. Everywhere." He finally looked at her, straight into her eyes. "Are you going to get in?"

"I suppose." But still she hesitated. And Mark figured out why.

"I'm not _drunk_. That shit's for Rob." The way he spit the word out cause Avery to take a step back.

"You don't sound like yourself." She said with a shrug at the look on his face.

"I'm sorry. Look..." He sighed and popped open the driver's side door, moving to stand up. "Let's go take a ride." He walked around to the passenger side and held the door open for Avery to slip inside. She buckled up while he made his way back to his seat.

She had worried for nothing. He drove with single-minded purpose, like he did everything else. Mark had great focus. It meant she could study him in the glow of the dashboard lights, taking in the set of his jaw and the shape of his lips, the slight frown on his forehead. His dark hair was starting to look a bit shaggy, like he was overdue for a haircut. Avery of course thought it looked good on him.

"So what happened? What's wrong?" Once they had left town behind them and were driving over winding country roads, Avery found her voice.

Mark would only shake his head. For almost an hour, he drove, seemingly in circles, the radio playing so low it was only a mutter. Apparently he didn't want to talk, and he didn't want to be alone. Avery was at a loss.

He finally turned at a gravel drive, one that Avery recalled led to a picnic area and small lake. Not a fishing lake – that one was on the other end of town, much bigger and stocked every other month with catfish, bass, and crappie. The big lake was also the hangout for high school kids in the summer. The one was considered strictly for kids, the water not deep even in the middle, the width easily swimmable. Most people called it the pond.

Just past midnight, it was completely deserted. Mark shut the car off and dropped them into darkness. And then he just sat there, shoulders rolled forward as if he were protecting himself from a blow. He rested his forehead against the steering wheel and heaved a deep sigh.

Avery reached out a shaky hand and laid it against the back of his neck. She unfastened her seat belt and slid across the bench seat, looking at him with concern. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I don't need help." He said softly, and took another deep breath. "She's gone."

"Who?" Avery toyed with his hair, letting it slip between her fingers as she rubbed the back of his neck.

"My mother."

Her fingers paused. "What do you mean...gone?"

Mark raised his head and looked at her, meeting her eyes. Her vision had adjusted a bit, there was enough moonlight so she could see he was still fighting against his emotion. "Dead. She's dead."

"Oh. Oh my god. Mark..." Avery leaned over, unsure, hesitant, but wanting to hug him. "I'm so sorry. What...what happened?" He had surprised her by not only returning the hug, but wrapping his arms around her so tightly she had lost her breath mid-sentence.

"He killed her. That son of a bitch killed her."


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Avery didn't need to ask who he meant. He only referred to one person as a son of a bitch, and that was his stepfather. She tightened her hold on him and stroked his back. "Are...what do you..." She couldn't seem to complete a thought.

"I left this morning. For the senior bullshit stuff. I didn't really wanna go but kinda got pushed into it..." He buried his face against her neck, making Avery shiver at the warm puff of his breath across her skin. "And when I got home..."

He couldn't seem to go on. Avery was picturing the worst in her mind. She'd seen enough slasher movies to get a decently gory mental image.

"She was just layin' there. On the couch. Wouldn't move, wouldn't wake up." He finally said it all in a rush. Avery blinked at that.

"I thought...uh..." She cleared her throat. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Mark shook his head against her shoulder. "The ambulance came. He just stood there watchin' with a beer in his hand and smug look on his face. They said maybe heart attack or stroke." He sat up, pulling back far enough to look into Avery's eyes. "But I don't believe it. Mom wasn't sick. He did something to her..." He trailed off again. "He's threatened to do it a million times. And I wasn't there to stop it."

Avery could only look at him. It was a big leap from threat to action. And then she considered the times she'd seen faded bruises on Mark's jaw, his shoulder, his cheek. "You have to tell some..."

He didn't let her finish before he was shaking his head. "The medics didn't wanna hear it. The sheriff didn't believe me either. Just looked at me and then shared a beer with that piece of shit. I had to get out." He said the last part helplessly.

Avery stroked his cheek with one hand, trying to comfort him as best she could. How the hell did you comfort a person who had just lost their mother? As crazy as her mother drove her, Avery could not imagine not having her around.

Mark let his forehead rest against hers and just sat there, not speaking. Maybe talked out for the moment. "I can't go back there." He finally broke the silence, although his voice was so low Avery almost didn't hear him.

"But...where will you go?"

"Away." He took another of those deep breaths. "That was the plan. Away." He abruptly pulled away from her, unsnapped his seat belt, and climbed out of the car before Avery could say a word.

She sat stunned for a moment at his departure, then sighed and slid out the open driver side door. Mark was gone. For a big guy, he could most eerily fast sometimes. And it hit her, that he'd been overcome by emotion and hadn't wanted to breakdown in front of her. Avery didn't know why. Whatever he said would be kept between them. She looked around, taking in the quiet night around her. There were four picnic tables spread around the clearing in the neatly mowed grass. No one had made use of the beach yet; she could see in the moonlight the rake-marks over the white sand, minus footprints. There were a couple of late night birds calling to each other, and plenty of tree frogs and crickets singing, but that was it. Avery did a slow turn and sighed again before heading to the water. She pulled her sandals off and smiled sadly when her toes sank into the still sun-warmed sand. The water was a smooth, calm mirror, reflecting the night stars. It really was beautiful out there. She waded into the water until it covered her feet. It felt warm as well. She remembered reading something about that, how water felt colder in the daytime and warmer at night, but the ins and outs were lost on her at the moment. Bigger things were on her mind.

Could Mark's stepdad have really killed his mom? Avery didn't know. She didn't know the man personally, had only heard second and sometimes third hand things about him from her mother, or Mark, or a few people around town. He had a temper. He was a drinker. Apparently he was abusive. And Mark had apparently tried to protect his mother. She had often wondered why, if he hated his stepdad so much, he had stuck around. It wasn't unheard of for people to drop out of school and disappear. But now she knew. Her heart ached for him. And to top it off...on his birthday, of all days.

"Sorry." His voice was a low mutter behind her. Avery jumped a little and turned, fighting back tears that she'd worked herself into. He had followed her lead, and had taken off his boots. He was at the water's edge, not wanting to venture in and risk getting his jeans wet. His control had slipped but he seemed to have it together for the moment. "For taking off. For dumping this on you. I didn't know who else to call."

"I'm glad you did. But I don't know how I can help." Avery said sadly. "And you don't have to apologize. I get it."

"Do you believe me?" He asked, completely seriously. Avery studied him solemnly.

"Yes." She had no reason not to. If Mark believed it, and it seemed that he did, then Avery believed it.

Her answered seemed to relieve him. "I don't know what to do."

"Wanna swim?" Avery nodded at the water. That seemed to confuse him. She almost smiled. "You brought us out here. You don't want to go home." She shrugged. "Of course if I had known I would have brought my suit but..."

"You're tryin' to distract me."

"For a minute." Avery did smile that time. She watched as Mark debated, then he tugged his dark t-shirt over his head. She averted her eyes when he started working on his belt and jeans. And couldn't help but peek. He was wearing boxers. She felt mildly relieved. And maybe a little disappointed.

He stepped toward her. The water was knee deep. Avery was holding her dress up so it wouldn't get wet. "What about you?"

"What about me? I told you, no suit."

He nodded. "Me either." Mark pointed out.

Avery sighed and felt those butterflies again. She was trying not to stare too hard at him. He was such a big guy, slim and toned and muscular. She knew she was just reacting to the influx of teenage hormones but it was a dizzying feeling. "Fine. But don't look. I don't have anything on..." She gestured to her chest. Mark nodded and turned his back, wading out into deeper water.

Avery eyed him to make sure he wasn't peeking, then carefully lifted her sundress over her head. She had to go back toward the beach to toss it onto the sand. She kept one arm resolutely across her chest, embarrassed but oddly excited too. The panties stayed on. At least she was wearing those. Mark's back was still to her. She finally waded deeper and quickly ducked under, swimming out a bit until she was sure when she stood up all of her private parts would be covered.

She came up for air and saw that he was now staring right at her as she flicked wet hair back out of her eyes. She had come up closer to him than she'd thought. But she was covered by water. And it hit her. Here she was, practically skinny dipping with one of the most popular guys in school. The principal's daughter. Ms. Goody Two-shoes herself. It felt like some kind of cosmic joke.

"This is weird." She said it out loud. And he actually smiled at that, although it wasn't his usual teeth-baring grin.

"Weird but nice." He said softly. "Thanks for coming out with me. I didn't want to be by myself."

Avery nodded and watched him as he swam toward the center of the pond. Once there he rolled onto his back and studied the night sky. She pushed off the bottom and follow his lead, loving the silky feel of the water against her bare skin. When she neared him, she let her legs drop so her toes were touching the sandy bottom. "I'm really sorry about everything. Your mom and your birthday and...I wish I had known. I would have gotten you something."

Mark smiled up at the sky but it was full of sadness. "Yeah, well." He stopped there. But he finally looked at her and stood up. His shoulders were above the waterline and Avery could see the bruises that still marred his skin. She frowned and reached out, letting her fingers gently touch the most recent looking one.

He was studying her with an intensity in his eyes she had never seen before. Avery became very aware of herself. And the fact that she was wearing next to nothing while almost floating in water less than three inches from a mostly naked guy. She swallowed audibly. But she didn't back away or drop her hand. He said nothing, still just looked at her. And she realized that maybe he was wondering what a mousy little thing like her was thinking, touching him. Stripping in front of him. She'd lost herself in his grief for a moment, but now her usual self-doubt was coming back to remind her of her place.

Avery pulled her hand back. "Sorry..." She pushed away from him and swam toward the shoreline. After a minute she heard him splash from behind her. She ignored it and finally got to where she could wade, then walk. Almost running, keeping her arms crossed, Avery stooped and grabbed her dress from the sand. She yanked it over her head, cursing mentally as the cotton clung to her wet skin. She probably looked like a drowned rat on top of everything else.

"Avery..." Mark said he name but she ignored him and snatched her sandals up before heading for the car. "Avery wait..."

She did finally. Once she was standing at the driver's side door. She turned to look at him, watching as he strode toward her still in nothing but his wet boxers. It didn't seem to bother him. Then again he had the body to pull it off. Mark got closer and grabbed her arms, then pulled her toward him. She dropped her shoes. And then his mouth was covering hers, rendering thought impossible.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Avery could honestly say it was the best kiss of her life.

Of course, it was the first kiss she'd ever experienced, but still...

Mark brought his hands up and cupped her face, tilting her head a little so his lips slid against hers. She felt his tongue probing and parted her lips, not able to catch her breath at the feel of him. She tentatively touched his tongue with hers, feeling her body tingle all the way down to her toes at the sensation. She was terrified but she didn't want him to stop either. It was dizzying.

When he finally pulled back, they were both gasping for air. Avery was holding onto his arms without evening thinking about it, leaning back against his car. He was still giving her that intense look. The butterflies were in full force. Avery started shivering. Her skin was still wet, the night had cooled, but mostly it was because she didn't know what was supposed to come next. Months of daydreaming hadn't done more than scratch the surface.

Mark slowly stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her. They were pressed together head to toe. He nuzzled her ear, her neck, bending to do it. But she could feel the heat coming off his bare chest, and she could feel something else as well. The thin shorts did nothing to really hide what was happening to him. The butterflies were turning into electric currents as her stomach did flips when he pressed that hardness closer to her.

"Avery..." He groaned out her name and she felt like she would have melted on the spot if he hadn't been holding her up. Dear lord she'd never heard her name said in such a low, husky tone. It was loaded with emotion too, and she couldn't name it. She tentatively let her hands rest on his sides and slid them up his chest, shuddering at the feel of his smooth skin at her fingertips.

Mark's mouth closed around her earlobe and he nibbled it gently. And then one of his big hands moved and cupped her breast through the wet material of her dress. Avery sucked in a breath as he squeezed her gently. "I've...never...done this before..." She finally managed to gasp out, holding on to the tiny part of her mind that was fearful, that wasn't clouded over with overstimulated hormones.

"I know." Mark released her earlobe and whispered that softly, sending a pleasurable shiver down her back. "I'll stop..." He started to back away but she clutched at him, panicked at the thought of him leaving.

"No...I want to. I just..." His hand was back on her breast, his thumb slipping back and forth over her nipple. It made it hard to think, let alone talk.

Mark pulled her forward and she heard him opening the car door behind them. She didn't protest when he guided her to sit. He climbed in after her, urging her to slide across the bench seat until she was flat on her back. And then his hands were on her again, moving over the damp cotton dress, trying to touch everywhere at once. He pulled gently and the top slipped down. Avery felt her face flush as his eyes raked her exposed breasts. He ducked his head and closed his hot mouth over one tight nipple, drawing a breathy moan from her, surprising her. Avery bit her lip and groped for him, tangling her fingers into his hair and pulling. Mark grunted in response. She couldn't seem to help it though.

She was so focused on his mouth that she didn't notice his hand pushing her dress up. At least, not until his fingers brushed against the wet cotton of her panties. Her hips involuntarily jerked as he pressed against her. She suddenly couldn't breath, everything felt like it was on fire, the car wasn't letting in enough air...

He was tugging at her panties, and she couldn't protest as he slid them down her legs. Embarrassed again, she started to close her thighs but he was sliding between them them, settling himself against her. She could feel the hard length of him pressed against her most private area and moaned softly when he rubbed against her.

"Mark..." Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, husky and weak. He was pushing his shorts down and she could feel him...the actually part of him that terrified her...pushing against her thigh as he moved. "I can't...I don't have..."

He stopped moving for a moment, raising his head and looking down at her. She felt his cock twitch against her leg, but he held himself perfectly still otherwise. "I think I have a condom...Avery..." Mark leaned closer and brushed his mouth over her. "Should I stop? Do you want me to stop? I don't wanna do this if it's not what you want..."

Her brain screamed 'yes, stop!'. Her body was having none of that. He'd sparked a fire in her that she had no idea how to put out. So she was trusting that he would. "I don't want to stop. Just...don't hurt me. Please?"

Mark nodded slowly. That seemed to throw his brakes on. He reached past her and opened the glove box, moving aside some papers to reveal a small box. He pulled a foil-wrapped condom from the pack and used his teeth to tear it open. Avery could not help but watch as he rolled it into place over his throbbing member. She almost wished she hadn't looked. She was scared enough as it was.

Mark resettled himself over her and lowered his head, kissing her breathless while his hands explored restlessly from one breast to the other, down her sides, up her belly. It wasn't until her hips started moving in time to his slow grinding against her leg that he shifted position and slid the head of his cock through her folds. Avery mindlessly dug her nails into his shoulders as he slowly entered her, crying out at the feeling of being stretched. There wasn't any pain, which she had heard was a possibility. Just a feeling of fullness as her body tried to adjust to the invasion.

Mark was panting softly next to her ear, moaning every time she moved. A suddenly feeling of power swept over Avery. She Shifted, raising her hips and his moan got louder. To think, she'd been mooning over him all this time and all along she could do this to him. The feeling went right to her head and finally drowned out her voice of reason.

He began slowly moving inside her, letting her moans, her movements, and her nails on his back guide him. He was running on instinct as he moved faster, spurred on by her panting, breathless moans.

"Oh...god..." Avery groaned out, feeling the sensation starting to spiral out of control. She wasn't a total prude, she understood what an orgasm was, but this was the first time she'd actually experienced one. It started where their bodies joined and seemed to shoot in every direction, tingling down in her toes, coiling in her belly, making her see stars. Mark grunted above her when her nails dug in against his skin as he spilled himself into the condom, the feel of her around him too much.

Out of breath, he collapsed on top of her, mindful to hold some of his weight on his knees and elbows. Now that she was coming down, Avery could feel the hard metal seat belt pressed into her back and the clammy dampness of her dress gathered around her waist. And those were still distant. Because the feel of him on top of her, his bare chest against her, his softening member still inside her...she knew it was a sensation she was never going to forget.

He dropped a soft kiss on her shoulder then regretfully pulled away. He stepped out of the car to dispose of the condom. Avery shakily slid to the door and got to her feet on unsteady legs. She could feel soreness settling into her thighs and relished that sensation as well. It wasn't The kind of soreness she got from dancing but it was pretty damn close. She hunted around and finally found her panties under the gas pedal. Mark had gone down to the water again. She couldn't quite see what he was doing but she assumed he was cleaning up. Once her panties were on, she adjusted her dress and reached for her shoes to pull them on.

Mark had picked up his jeans and shirt and was getting dressed. She watched him as he sat on the grass to tug his boots on. Then he got up and walked slowly to where she waited for him.

"Avery..." He stopped in front of her. She looked up expectantly. He reached out and pulled her close, kissing her gently. He seemed to want to say something but instead he looked past her at the car. "Are you ready?"

"Sure." Avery smiled uncertainly at him and got back into the car. She slid over and watched him get behind the wheel. "Do you want..." She stopped, not believing she was about to ask this. Not Avery Morgan, patron saint of the high school. "Do you want to stay the night at my house? With me?"

It seemed to surprise him. "I'm sure your parents would love that." He shook his head and started the car.

"Yeah. Except they aren't home. Won't be back until Sunday."

Mark paused in putting the car into gear to look at her again. Maybe gauging her seriousness.

"You did say that you couldn't go home." Avery hated to point it out, but she did anyway.

"Yeah. Ok. If you want me to." He still sounded unsure. Avery smiled.

"I do want you to. Just...don't tell my dad."

Mark snorted at that. "Yeah, you can probably count on that." He guided the car along the gravel and soon they were back on the smooth road, heading into town.

The soreness settled itself more deeply into her thighs on the ride. Avery kept stealing glances at Mark, those butterflies once more doing their thing. She had done it. She had actually gone all the way with the guy. In his car. It was cliched but there was something to be said for being caught up in the moment. And she still wondered why it was her he turned to, plain little Avery. He had his pick of girls.

She shook her head and refused to dwell on it. She knew that was her mother's voice in her head, planting seeds of doubt. Not only was Mark not suitable for Avery in her mother's opinion, but in many of her rants the underlying inclination was that he could do better. There was always that dig at Avery not quite being good enough, or smart enough, or pretty enough, or talented enough.

Avery forced the thoughts out of her head. For now, she was going to bask. She had a feeling regret would come later, and knowing her she would be way harder on herself than her mother ever would be.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Mark didn't stay until Sunday. In fact, Avery wasn't even sure if he has spent the entire Friday night with her. By the time she rolled out of bed at noon on Saturday, he was gone.

The night had been...interesting. She took a shower in her bathroom while he'd used the guest bathroom in the hall. Avery found an old robe that belonged to her dad for Mark to wear while she tossed their closed into the laundry. And then they'd shared her bed. He was uncomfortable at first, maybe because of her father. But once he relaxed, they spent a few hours just talking. About random things. Keeping both of their minds off of everything from the day before.

Eventually Avery had snuggled up against him and had fallen asleep, listening to the slow thump of his heart against her ear. And then she woke up alone. He had left the robe but his clothes were gone. And he hadn't bothered to wake her or leave a note or...

Avery made herself stop before the tears she felt building behind her eyes could even begin to fall. It wasn't like he had promised her anything. And it wasn't like she had forced him into an exclusive relationship. She blamed herself for what had happened. He'd given her plenty of chances to say no, but had she listened? Nope. She'd let him take her virginity in the front seat of his car, mindless of how it would feel so empty the next day.

Empty and sore as hell. Everything below the waist was hurting. So Avery took a hot shower and spent a few minutes stretching until most of the ache was gone. Every time she heard a car outside, she looked for him. The phone rang twice but it wasn't him. She should call him but she didn't want to risk talking to Rob. Knowing how Mark felt about him still sent a shiver down her back.

So she waited and worried. And waited more. All of her excitement from the day before had faded. By the time night started to fall, Avery had to admit it to herself. He wasn't going to come back. Wasn't even going to call her to explain what was going on.

She curled up on her bed, hugging her extra pillow to her, still feeling him around her. Inside her. It was starting to feel dreamlike. Maybe eventually she could convince herself. And yes, she did cry a little. Because what she felt for him and moved beyond a simple crush into dangerous territory. Dangerous and uncharted territory for her.

She knew she had to snap out of it. Her parents would be back the next day and her mother would take one look at her and see exactly what had happened. Which gave Avery something brand new to worry about. She slept fitfully through the night, and when she finally rose Sunday morning she was exhausted. And a bit angry. She grabbed her key and the money her father had left and headed out, walking toward the diner in town, She was going to treat herself to breakfast. And yes, she would be walking right past Mark's house.

And Avery was disappointed again. His car was not there. The house was tiny compared to her own. She had no clue how three people had fit into it. It didn't look like anyone was currently at home. She sighed and kept walking.

She ordered bacon, eggs, toast and juice. And didn't taste any of it. She made herself eat it all because she couldn't remember eating the day before. And her anger had built up. She could check around the usual hangouts, besides the diner there was the arcade, the small shopping center across town, the big lake. But how desperate did she really want to look? Chasing after him like a puppy? Like she needed to add that to her already stellar reputation as queen squeaky clean.

So she walked home. Once again passing Mark's house. This time a truck was in the driveway. His stepfather was home. He was actually sitting on the porch, beer in his hand even though it was barely 9 in the morning. He stared at her the entire time it took to walk past the house, not acknowledging her. Avery was aware that he knew she tutored Mark, and that he thought it was a waste of time and Mark's money.

She resolutely kept her head down and walked on, until she reached her own house. She had a few hours before her parents would be back. So she put on her workout gear and headed to the basement. Her dad had a home gym in one corner. The rest was open space where she'd hung mirrors. Her own private dance room. Her mother only came down to do laundry, and never failed to role her eyes a the makeshift practice studio.

Avery didn't care. She had moved her stereo down here months ago. She hunted through her collection of music until she found the right song that suited her mood. She went through her usual warm-up routine of stretching, feeling the last of the kinks fade away. So lost in the process, she didn't hear footsteps on the stairs behind her.

"Avery!" Her brother's voice was raised in a shout over the music. Avery jumped and whirled around, putting her hand to her chest.

"Oh my god, you maniac. You scared me." She was breathing heavily and leaned over, bracing her hands on her legs to try to catch her breath.

"I've been yellin' forever." Joe grinned impishly. Her kid brother had just turned 12. Unlike Avery, Joe leaned more toward the athletic side of things. And no matter what their mother thought, he did have natural talent. Especially when it came to baseball. The kid was obsessed. He ran to the stereo and turned the volume low. "Mom wants you to turn the racket off." He smirked when he said it. They both knew the basement was the most soundproof room in the house. More evidence of Mom being Mom. "And she went shopping with Aunt Janelle and they bought you a dress for graduation." The smirk widened into a grin at the noise that Avery made.

"Great." A single word could not hold more sarcasm. Knowing her mother, it would be something pink and frilly and hideous and more suited to a 5 year old. "I'll be up in a few. Got to cool down."

"Yeah, yeah." Joe headed for the stairs. Avery watched him go and glanced at the clock. She had been in the basement for nearly four hours. She was hot, tired, sweaty. But she felt good for the first time in days. She grabbed the small towel she'd brought downstairs with her and clicked the stereo off. Mentally bracing herself, she wiped the sweat from her face and headed up the stairs.

The kitchen table was covered with bags. Avery shared a look with her dad as she eyed the bags from various clothing outlets. "So you guys were busy." Avery observed as she went to the sink for a glass of water.

"The credit cards were." Her dad quipped. But softly, so her mother wouldn't hear. Suzanne brought in more money than Ted, and spent it as she saw fit. Ted was more conservative with money, trying to save. It was, oddly enough, their only real point of contention in an otherwise happy marriage.

"Some of it is for you, Avery." Suzanne swept into the room. She eyed Avery's workout gear with a slight frown of distaste. "Although I do wish you would clean up before you traipse through the house after a workout."

"Then maybe install a sink in the basement and I'd never have to come upstairs. Like a troll, living under a bridge." Avery deadpanned. The corner of Suzanne's lip twitched. She had almost smiled. Sometimes Avery could catch her and surprise her into a smile or even a laugh. Her mother was a snob, and she could cut her children down to size with a word or two, but somewhere inside was a flawed human just like everyone else. A person had to know her to see through the cracks in her armor.

"Did you enjoy your weekend alone? I suppose it was almost a preview of what college life will be like unless you get accepted somewhere nearby and live at home." Suzanne went to the table and began sorting things, unpacking bags.

Avery snorted. If that was a preview of college life...

"It was fine. Quiet. I slept way too much."

"That's fine. Finals all done, right?"

Avery glanced at her Dad. Her mother had taken that in stride. No odd backtalk? No underhanded compliment for not burning the house down?

"Finished the last one yesterday."

"Good. Here." Suzanne held out two bags. Avery took them gingerly. "Clean up and try on the dress please. I need to see the fit so I have time to make adjustments."

Avery again looked to her dad. Ted shrugged one shoulder. He didn't know why Suzanne was being so nice, either. "Sure. Give me a few minutes." She took the bags and headed for the stairs, thinking maybe her mother had been hit on the head during the trip. She took a quite shower and wrapped a towel around her, then hunted through the bags. The dress was surprisingly not pink or frilly. She held is up and raised an eyebrow. It was black, with a single shoulder strap. Form fitting. She eyed it distrustfully. It was not the sort of dress her mother would pick for her. Avery pulled it on and looked at her reflection. Of course with her wet hair, it looked odd but the dress was nice, made of some soft stretchy material that hugged her and made it look like she had more curves.

There was a knock on her door and Suzanne poked her head in. She looked over Avery's dress and a slight smile curled the corners of her mouth. "I had to guess at the size but it's just about perfect. Just need the right shoes..." She was pretty much talking to herself.

"This isn't really a 'Mom picked' dress." Avery pointed out. She slicked her wet hair back from her face and eyed the mirror again.

"Well, it _is_ more suited to someone a little older. But your graduating early." Suzanne sighed and closed the bedroom door behind her, then stood in front of Avery and fiddled with the dress strap. "I may not show it, but I am proud of you. Graduation is the first big step toward womanhood."

Avery raised an eyebrow. She was pretty sure she'd already gotten _that_ step out of the way the other night. But she refrained from pointing it out. And her mother was actually being nice.

"We heard about the Williams family. Horrible." Suzanne had moved on to Avery's wet hair and was finger combing it into waves. "Have you heard from your...friend?" The pause, although short, was there and easily picked up. Avery shook her head.

"Not since last week." It wasn't a lie. The new week started on Sunday after all.

"Mother passed away. Horrible." Suzanne repeated. Avery raised her eyebrow again. Was that what the sudden foray into being nice was about? She was feeling her mortality because someone her own age had died suddenly? "Pass on our condolences when you see him at school." Avery could only nod. It might have been the nicest that Suzanne had ever been regarding her sort of friendship with Mark. "And hang the dress. It will look beautiful with the red gown."

"Sure." Avery watched her mother leave the room, that puzzled frown not quite leaving her face. Weird. The whole weekend had been weird. But her mother had given her an idea.

Tomorrow was Monday and they still technically had a week of school left. Mark was bound to be there. Or not. She shook her head thoughtfully. School would be the last place she would want to be if someone in her family died. She still felt hurt by his leaving without a word; everything still felt so unfinished.

With a sigh she slipped the dress off her body and hung it carefully in her closet. The other clothes were more her usual style – jeans, t-shirts, a couple of new skirts. Yes, her mother did show her love in roundabout ways, but Avery never doubted that the love was there. She just wasn't the affectionate type. She shook her head and got dressed, trying to put the entire weekend out of her mind. It was too confusing, the feelings that she had for Mark, and the feeling she had about his leaving.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Of course Mark wasn't at school the next day. Or the next. By Tuesday lunchtime, word had spread about Mark's mother and how he had found her body. The rumors were horrible. Avery paid them very little mind after hearing the first few. None of the kids touched on the possibility that his mom had been killed by his stepfather. It was more a morbid curiosity on how Mark had found her, what she had been doing, wearing, and how messy it had been.

The funeral for Mrs. Williams was set for the next day. Avery did not expect Mark to show up for school then either. She knew she wouldn't. Ellie had been grilling her for the past two days, sensing that something had happened, but guessing nowhere near the real thing. She only figured that Avery might know something about Mark's disappearance.

By the time the day ended, Avery had a headache. She was getting ready to go when her dad beckoned to her from the doorway to the office.

"Isn't Tuesday your usual study date with Mark Calaway?" He'd asked.

Every time someone said his name, Avery felt like she had been sucker punched in the stomach. Would it ever stop?

"Yes. But finals are over."

"Still." Ted held out an envelope. "This came for him. If you see him at the library, can you give it to him? If not just bring it back. We'll mail it to his house."

Avery took it with numb fingers. It was an official looking letter from the college that Mark had been talking to about his scholarship chances. "Sure dad. I'll see you at supper." She gave him a hug and tucked the envelope into her nearly empty backpack before heading outside.

She had honestly had no intentions of going to the library but...since Mark hadn't popped up anywhere else, maybe he would show up there. Avery tried not to get her hopes up as she walked into the quiet building. She went to her usual spot, the table in the far left-hand corner. Empty of course. There were only a few people here, and no one from school. Avery sank down into an empty chair and pulled the letter out of her backpack. Feeling just a tiny bit guilty, she used a fingernail to carefully rip open the tap that held it closed.

It was an acceptance letter. His grades were good enough that they were willing to cover his scholarship. Avery oddly felt tears prick her eyes. It was something to celebrate, not cry over, but it was Mark's celebration not hers.

She tucked the envelope away and roamed the stacks for a bit, idly pulling out books and putting them back. Nothing caught her eye. She decided to leave. No sense in hanging out. Her reputation as a nerd didn't extend quite to the point where she had a chair in the library reserved for her, and she would like to keep it that way.

As she was gathering her things, she happened to glance toward the door. And would have sworn she saw Mark. Just a fleeting glimpse as he headed outside. It was hard to mistake him for someone else – nobody in town had his height and built.

Feeling like her stomach had jumped into her throat, Avery grabbed her backpack and hurried outside. And of course Mark wasn't there. Either her mind had been playing a particularly realistic trick on her, or it had been wishful thinking. Dejected, she started to walk home then reached for the letter again. She would make one pit stop on the way.

In ten minutes she was nearing Mark's house. Once again, nobody seemed to be home. No cars in the driveway. She debated then decided no. She wasn't going to give Mark's stepfather that satisfaction of reading the letter before he did. She hurried down the road to her own house. While her mother was busy cooking supper and her father was outside shooting baskets with Joe, Avery carefully re-taped the letter and put it on top of her dad's briefcase.

Since her mother had been uncharacteristically nice over the past few days, Avery ventured into the kitchen. She had a question to ask and was dreading it because she knew how her mother usually reacted when someone brought up the Williams family or Mark.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Hmm?" Suzanne was mixing something at the stove. She glanced at Avery, noted her serious look, and set the bowl aside. "What is it?"

"It's...could I leave school early tomorrow to go to Mrs. Williams' funeral?" Avery just spit it out.

Suzanne wiped her hands on a dishtowel and frowned a bit, thinking it over. "if it's all right with your father, than it's fine."

And again, Avery was stunned to silence. No fight? No argument that she needed to stop running around with a family that's beneath them.

"Don't look so surprised. You want to pay our respects and support your...friend. That's admirable, Avery. Your heart is in the right place." Again she hesitated ever so slightly. But then she complimented without the undertone of 'do better' that Avery was used to.

"Thanks Mom." She impulsively kissed her mother on the cheek, something she never did. Her mom didn't usually instigate or invite affection. This time though, she smiled softly and put her arm around Avery's shoulders for a quick hug.

The funeral was at 2. Avery left early enough to go home and change into a navy blue dress. Several people from school were there, along with a few dozen people from town. There was a handful of people that Avery didn't know as well.

Mark was conspicuously absent. So was Rob. The chairs reserved for family at the side of the grave sat empty the entire service. Avery told herself it wasn't disappointment anymore so much as worry. What had happened, where could he be, to miss giving his mother a proper goodbye?

Saturday soon arrived. Graduation day. Avery should have been ecstatic, but instead she just felt empty. She got dressed in the beautiful dress her mother had chosen for her, then let Suzanne fuss over her hair and makeup. Once the cap and gown were on, both Suzanne and Ted had trouble holding back their tears.

Avery accepted her diploma but barely remembered the walk across the stage. She had turned down the chance to be valedictorian, because she hated public speaking and what could she say? Use condoms? At least she could honestly say she had experience there.

She smiled for pictures and accepted congratulations from everyone, but it had felt so empty. Mark hadn't even bothered to show up for graduation. She had to make herself face it. He was truly gone. Away, just as he'd said. Nowhere in particular, but no longer here.

Avery finally put it behind her. It was the finality of graduating that did it. She would be leaving for college in a few months, and she still had a dance recital to prepare for. She had fancied herself in love with the guy, and he'd done exactly what her mother had hinted at all those times she had brought him up. She should be glad he had left.

But that left her feeling empty as well. Empty and a bit scared. Because Rob hadn't left. If he had murdered Elizabeth, as Mark suspected, that meant a cold blooded killer was living just a few blocks away. College was looking better and better. If she just kept telling herself that she was over him, eventually it would be true. Avery could only hope as her last summer at home stretched out in front of her.


	7. Chapter 7

The Present

7.

Avery sat on the front porch swing, cup of coffee in her hand, enjoying the quiet of the morning. She was up earlier than usual. It was going to be a busy day. But not necessarily a good day. They were laying her mother to rest. She'd been diagnosed with cancer just the year before. And although she fought it, in the Suzanne Morgan style of fighting everything, the cancer had spread and she was gone.

Avery still felt numb. She kept replaying things in her head, things from the past. How her mother used to be such a snob. The backhanded compliments. The flat out proclamations that her children would never be good enough. And then the complete 180. That odd weekend, 20 years before, when Elizabeth Williams had died.

Suzanne never came right out and said why her attitude changed. Maybe the death of the other woman had forced her to look at her own life? Avery did not know. It took a long time to get to know the new Suzanne. And an even longer time to trust her. Avery still found herself bracing for a barely concealed insult. And even though Suzanne had changed, some of the things she'd said still stuck with Avery even now.

That weird weekend..

Avery sighed and sipped her coffee. And refused to think about it further. It was 20 years ago. No sense dredging up the past.

The screen door behind her opened and soft footsteps walked across the porch. "You're up early." She didn't have to look to know her daughter had joined her.

Emily sat on the swing beside her, eyed her coffee with a wrinkled nose, and let her head rest against Avery's shoulder. Emily was everything Avery had not been at 16. Pretty, popular, outgoing. Driven. The drive came more from her father. His single-mindedness was the reason why their marriage hadn't worked out. Eight years was what they managed before Avery gave up. She would rather be alone and happy than married and lonely. He was a lawyer, a litigator. A good one. Jack Landry loved to argue, it was what he lived for. They had met in college, before the job had gotten such a hold on him.

Avery thought of him fondly. And they got along. When he came to pick up Emily for his weekend visits, they would spend an hour or so catching up on things. Amicable. Jack loved to argue, but when it came to Avery he hadn't seemed willing to put up a fight. He'd accepted the divorce papers, and the tentative custody agreement, with uncharacteristic ease. She kept waiting for him to fight it and it never happened.

Of course neither of them had remarried. Avery because she had moved back home, and while she had dated a little she had not been interested in doing anything more permanent than that. Jack just hadn't found the woman that sparked that need to argue in him. Avery hoped that he would. He deserved to have a strong woman that made him passionate about something besides the law.

She didn't doubt that he loved Emily. She had Avery's chestnut hair, and the single dimple on her left cheek that flashed whenever she smiled. She also had her father's deep brown eyes. Emily had also inherited Avery's love of dancing although she _did_ have the natural talent that Avery had always been told she was missing. Maybe it had skipped a generation.

Emily parlayed the talent for dancing into creating a dance team at school. She was a sophomore. Much like Avery, Emily had been given the option of moving up a grade, graduating early. She had declined. She was smart but she enjoyed school immensely and did not see a reason to want to miss out on her junior and senior years.

"I didn't sleep much last night. Thinking about Grandma." Emily said softly. Avery nodded and wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"Me too, sweetheart."

They sat in silence for a bit, only the creak of the swing breaking it as it moved gently. "Your Grandpa should be here soon. And your Uncle Joe." Avery pointed out. Ted and Suzanne had moved out of their house once Joe had left for college. They gave it to Avery, as a wedding gift. They've moved to a smaller place near the big lake. Without the kids, neither had wanted to ramble in the big old Victorian. Avery loved the old house. It was where she had grown up. And now it was where Emily had grown up. Of course it had been updated. The basement had been finished. The kitchen and bathrooms redone. The original wood floors had been sanded and polished to look new but they still creaked and popped in some places, sounds that Avery loved. Jack had insisted on adding central heat and air. The look of mock horror on Emily's face whenever Avery pointed out that growing up they relied on the fireplaces for heat and fans for cooling was still funny. Of course, adding HVAC meant replacing old wooden windows and drafty doors. The upgrades were worth the money. The house would probably be left to Emily at some point in the future.

"Are you going to work this morning?" Emily asked with a yawn.

Avery shook her head. "Nope. No need. Besides, I doubt I would get much done before I had to come back to get ready." She had ended up following in her father's footsteps. Avery had been a teacher. And now she was the principal. At the elementary school. Her father was retired from the high school and a new principal had taken over there as well.

Avery loved it. She loved working with the younger kids, and since she had always been good at helping and teaching, it just seemed to be the natural career path for her. She couldn't complain. She could have chased something more exciting but she didn't think anything else would have made her happy. Except may dancing. A hobby she pretty much gave up during college.

It made her happy that Emily loved it though. She got to watch her daughter dance, and got as much enjoyment out of that as she did dancing herself.

"Breakfast?" Avery finally broke the silence that had fallen over them. Cars were starting to move on the street now. People were waking up and heading out to work.

"Sure." Emily rose from the swing. Avery followed her lead, going into the house. It was going to be a long day. The funeral for Suzanne was at 11. There would be a reception here at the house afterward. Ted was having it catered to save Avery the aggravation of cooking for so many people. The caterer would be there by 9 to start setting up.

It seemed to be such a waste to Avery but it was something that her mother would have insisted on. Suzanne, the world's fiercest event planner. Weddings were her specialty but she never turned down the opportunity to plan and execute a wake, a birthday party, or a corporate event. Her perfectionist nature played well into her work. She charged high fees for her services and people paid them because if Suzanne was in charge, then things would go off without a hitch. Avery thought her mother should have pursued a career as an Army general. She may have missed her calling.

The caterers showed up right on time. Avery showed them where to set up and left them to it. Emily was being uncharacteristically quiet, withdrawn. She was lost in her own thoughts. Avery understood completely. Suzanne had been more than a mother and grandmother. She had been a force of nature. Her loss left a bit of a vacuum.

Joe and Ted showed up together. Avery accepted a hug from her dad and little brother. Well – not so little since he now stood a good eight inches taller than her. Joe had played baseball through college, but gave it up in favor of medical school. Now he was a pediatrician.

As for Ted...he looked even more like Robert Redford now than he had back when Avery's school friends used to giggle over him. It was mostly the eyes and the thick hair. And the ruddy complexion. He was retired but not done working. He still worked with the school board, had in face been elected president of it twice. There were rumors they wanted him to take on the role of superintendent for the county but he wasn't sure if he wanted to devote himself fully to the position.

Their arrival seemed to perk Emily up. She spent twenty minutes grilling her uncle about his girlfriend, who he had not brought along. Joe had not married, at least not yet. He had been with his current girlfriend for nearly 4 years. Heather was sweet, and a nurse. So they worked well together. Joe was just dragging his feet. Emily wanted cousins. She pushed him every time she saw him. It was actually pretty funny.

The morning went by quickly. At 11, the four of them were at the cemetery. It was a clear, warm day in late May. Suzanne would have hated a church service so they elected to hold the entire service there at the cemetery. It was packed. Suzanne had known everyone, it seemed. Friends, family, clients, even a state senator was present. Suzanne had planned several of his dinner functions and fundraisers.

A few people got up to speak. And then it was over. The bronze coffin was lowered into the ground the the funeral party – a term that Avery loathed – broke apart and started heading toward their cars. Most would be going to her house, to eat food and remember Suzanne. She was mentally bracing herself for it when Emily touched her arm. 

"Who's that?"

Avery glanced around. "Who? You have to be more specific."

Emily rolled her eyes and not-so-subtly pointed down the small hill behind them. Most of the mourners had parked down there. But one of them stood off to the side, alone, looking up the hill at where they were standing.

Avery felt her heart jump into her throat. And the bottom drop out of her stomach. It had been 20 years but she would have recognized him anywhere, even from this distance.

It was Mark.


	8. Chapter 8

8.

She didn't have time to process seeing him again. Even from a distance.

Avery was guided toward their waiting car by Ted. She climbed into the back with Emily and ignored the puzzled look on her daughter's face.

"Oh. I remember him." That came from Joe, sitting up front with Ted. They were slowly moving out of the cemetery. Mark was still looking toward them, but he had moved away from the narrow road. Keeping his distance. Avery watched him turn and walk to the plot where his own mother was laid to rest. And then they rounded a turn and he was out of sight.

"Mark Calaway." She finally said. Now that she wasn't looking at him, Avery found her voice. "I used to tutor him. He's been gone a long time." She smiled distractedly at Emily.

"I wonder if he ever made it to college. Didn't he get that scholarship?" That came from Ted. "Never came back to school. Although I think he picked up his diploma and a transcript. Long time ago. But he left an impression."

Avery mentally seconded that opinion. He had left a major one on her. She didn't believe that she'd ever felt the same way about any guy she'd dated, up to and possibly including her ex-husband. First love. No man had ever made her feel the same way. Jack had been close. And she had loved him but it just hadn't been the same. Maybe time and experience had something to do with it.

And she had said earlier she wasn't going to dredge up the past. And there he had been, staring in her direction. She had been too stunned to do more than register him though. She wished she had gotten a better look. Then again, maybe it was better this way. Especially since just a glimpse at the man made her feel strange even now.

Avery pushed her thoughts to the side. Already, there were dozens of cars parked around their house and lining the block. Someone had blocked off a spot for them, thankfully. She mentally braced herself but still wasn't quite prepared enough to deal with all the people. So many strangers offering hugs and condolences. Emily was in her element. She pretty much took over as hostess, and Avery let her. Once again, not one for public speaking or other shenanigans, she was content to fade into the background and observe.

She was also convinced that people were never going to leave when Ted started ushering out the first of them. And then more. The stress of the day had been a lot for all of them, and as the afternoon turned to evening, he was a lot more gracious about showing people the door than Avery would have been. It was after 8 when the last of them were finally gone. The caterers took a little longer to head out. They at least stayed to help clean, for which Avery would be forever grateful.

She offered to let both Ted and Joe spend the night at the house, but both had declined. Joe was staying with his dad at the lake, and they had planned to get up early the next day to fish. Avery could only roll her eyes as she hugged them goodbye. It wasn't like it was so far away but they had it all figured out.

That left her with Emily. Finally. The house seemed much bigger and way quieter once the catering team was finished and headed out. Emily yawned and hugged her mother. "I'm done. This day has been crazy. I'm going to get ready for bed."

"I'm gonna be right behind you in a bit." Avery kissed her daughter's forehead and smiled at her noise of annoyance. She had decided, way before she had ever had a child, that she would not withhold affection as her mother had done. Emily loved it even though she sometimes tried to act as if she didn't.

Avery shut off a few of the downstairs lights before heading for the stairs. She took her shoes off and sighed in relief. One of the perks of working elementary was that the dress was much more casual than at higher levels. The low-heeled pumps were practical but her ankles were going to protest for a couple of days. She stopped in Emily's room and gave her another hug goodnight. Her daughter was already in bed, curled on her side, blankets tucked around her.

She pulled out pajamas and then cranked the shower to the hottest setting she could handle. It was almost as good as a massage. She let the tension of the day melt as she washed, mentally trying to find her footing. She had a few more days of work before summer break, tomorrow was a school day. She'd done pretty well by focusing on the important stuff. Once school was out, she figured her mother's death would really hit her. Because she'd have time on her hands.

By the time she was done, Emily was already sleeping. Avery went back downstairs. Even though it had been a long day, she knew it would be a while before she could fall asleep. She looked at the TV and decided to sit on the porch instead. It was late, and quiet. And it was still a warm evening. So she headed outside to the porch swing.

A mild breeze had started sometime after sunset. There was no noise other than the occasional muffled engine noise from the street and the rustle of tree leaves overhead. Avery set the swing into motion and leaned her head back, just listening, eyes closed. It was relaxing. She forced errant thoughts from her mind because to be honest there were some things she would rather not think about. Who she had seen today was one of those things.

With a sigh she sat up straight and opened her eyes. And almost as if she had conjured him up, Mark was there. Standing on her walkway between the road and the porch, hands in his pockets. He'd gotten rid of the dark suit at some point and was wearing a pair of snug blue jeans and a dark t-shirt. His hair was long, tied back in a braid. And he was sporting a goatee. Time had been good to him. He was still one of the best looking guys she had ever laid eyes on. Maybe better looking now. He was still incredibly tall, but he'd added quite a bit of muscle. All of the boyish traits she remembered were long gone. She could only imagine how frumpy she must look from his point of view.

The silence stretched out. Avery frowned at him, waiting for him to say something. Anything. Way back when they had been friends, she would be rushing to fill the awkward silences between them. Time had given her perspective and she wasn't the naive little mouse she used to be. Plus working with kids meant she had learned the art of waiting out a hardheaded troublemaker. Of course that usually only applied to willful 7 year-olds but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Mark heaved a sigh and finally walked forward. "Hey." Lord help her, even his voice had matured. It was deeper than she remembered, lower.

"Hey." She said it right back at him. And nothing else. She wasn't going to make this easy on him.

He had finally reached the porch but he didn't climb the stairs. Maybe he was just waiting for her to tell him to get lost. Avery knew if she were as smart as she thought she was, she would do exactly that. But damn it, she had questions. 20 year old questions.

"Sorry about your loss. Of your mom." Mark added that, and it hit Avery that he was actually nervous. She had never made him, or anyone else, nervous before. Weird.

"Thanks." She pushed against the porch floor with one bare foot, setting the swing in motion again. "What were you doing there?" Avery asked bluntly.

Mark shrugged. "I figured I owed you. Since you went to my mom's funeral."

Avery narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. "How did you know that?"

He looked up at the house for a long moment. "Because I saw you." Mark took a deep breath. "I couldn't make myself go to her grave. Not then. I was watching from a distance."

"You were here?"

"Yes." He finally looked at her again. "I saw you. A couple of times. At the diner. At the library."

Avery vaguely remembered thinking she had spotted him ducking out the door. "Wait...so that _was_ you?"

"I didn't want you to see me. I wasn't ready to face you."

"You weren't ready to face me?" Avery asked, incredulous. What the hell did that mean? He was embarrassed that he'd slept with her? Her ego was plenty fragile enough without knowing _that_ particular sentiment.

He didn't seem to notice the anger in her voice. "I couldn't. I wanted to..."

"Are you serious right now?" Avery brought the swing to a halt. "You couldn't stand to insult me to my face? You didn't want to risk one of your friends finding out? Or one of your girlfriends?" It was amazing, how fast that old anger had come back.

Mark just stared at her in stunned silence.

"You sure picked a hell of a day to pop up to remind me how beneath you I was." Avery rose to her feet. "So low you couldn't be bothered to even leave a note when you ran off." She kept her voice low. Emily's room was in the front part of the house. She didn't want to risk waking her up. "Thank you for your condolences. You can pull another disappearing act now." She didn't wait for him to leave. Avery went into the house and resolutely shut and locked the door behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

Avery thought she deserved a reward. She managed to sleepwalk through an entire day at work.

The night before had been rough. She had tossed and turned and then she had gotten up and pace the house. Agitated did not describe her mood. She drank so much coffee she thought she should be humming like an electric wire given the amount of caffeine she had consumed.

When the school day ended and the halls were quiet, she sat in her office trying to drum up the energy to get in her car and drive home.

"Hey, woman. You going to just spend the night here or what?" Ellie had appeared in her office doorway, grin on her face. Her bubbly personality translated well to the kids – she was one of their kindergarten teachers. She also had four kids of her own. She had married David, her high school sweetheart.

"I'm thinking about it. Why are you still here?"

"Cleaning out closets. It's a mess. Gotta love the end of the year." Ellie took a seat. "Oh. I heard an evil rumor that Mark Calaway was back in town. Didn't you guys used to be friends?"

Ugh. Avery couldn't escape him.

"Used to be. Wonder what dragged him back finally." Avery kept her tone nuetral.

"The reunion." Ellie grinned at Avery's noise of annoyance. "What? He got sent an invitation just like everybody else." Although she had graduated 2 years after Avery, Ellie was on the reunion committee every year. She liked to keep busy.

"I just don't see the point in a reunion when when most of the class lives within spitting distance of the high school still." It was true. Avery would swear she saw some of her classmates more now that they had children going to school than she had back when she had been a student.

"You can humbug it all you want to. You're going."

"I haven't decided that yet."

"I decided for you." Ellie grinned. "Live a little. Your kid is almost grown."

"Don't remind me." Avery groaned. "And I really do need to get out of here. I'm going to bed early tonight if it kills me."

"You had a rough day yesterday." Ellie commiserated. "You should have taken off today too."

"Ha. I'll be off for three months in a few days. My vacation days and PTO are all spoken for." They walked outside together and Avery promised to call her that weekend to get together for lunch without the kids involved.

She managed to get home in one piece. Emily was at dance team practice until six. Avery debated taking a nap, knowing if she gave in to the temptation she wouldn't be able to sleep again that night. But it sounded so nice. She avoided comfortable spots like the couch and kept busy, putting together supper, throwing a load of laundry in.

There was a knock on the door. Avery glanced at the clock and frowned. She hadn't locked the door and Emily wouldn't be home for nearly at least half an hour. She went into the front hall and frowned at the big shadow she could see through the frosted glass of her front door.

She seriously considered pretending she wasn't home for all of 3 seconds. Her car was in the driveway. Plus she was pretty sure that her visitor could see her moving through his side of the frosted glass. She had a sinking feeling that she knew who it was.

Resigned to having to look at him in the daylight, mentally preparing the shut the door in his face after telling him to get lost, Avery yanked the door open.

"What..." The words died on her lips. It wasn't Mark. It was Jack. Relief flooded through her. It was funny how angry she had gotten with Mark, a guy she hadn't seen in 2 decades, but her ex-husband's appearance made her smile.

"Wow. For a second there, I thought you were going to knock me off the porch." Jack smirked.

"I thought about it. What's up?"

"I told Em I would take her out to eat tonight. Since I couldn't make it yesterday." At that, Jack's smile faded. "I'm sorry about your mom, Avery."

"Thanks. Emily's still at practice. But you can come in and wait." She pulled the door open and let him step inside before closing the door.

"Something smells great." Jack observed, following her into the kitchen.

"Chicken parm." Avery smiled. "You can stay and eat here. I made plenty."

"Think Em would go for it?" Jack said with a laugh. He sat at the table.

"It's her favorite so she might. Besides that, you're getting her this weekend. You can go out to eat whenever you want to."

"True." Jack was eyeing her. "You look tired. Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine. Recovering from yesterday." In more ways than one, Avery added mentally.

"I should have taken the day, come down for the funeral."

"You didn't have to. We managed to get through it."

"Of course you did." A racket came from the front of the house and they both looked that direction.

"Hey!" Emily appeared in the doorway. "We got done early. Hey Dad." She gave him a hug and kiss, then hugged Avery on her way to the sink for a drink of water. She also peeked into the oven. "Oh man. So I guess I should have rain-checked the dinner invitation with Dad."

"Or he could eat here. With us. Which he already said he would." Avery said with a laugh.

Jack kept things on the light side through dinner. They spent a pleasant couple of hours hanging out. When he decided to leave, he gave Avery a warm kiss. But it didn't spark anything between them. That was their biggest problem. No spark. Or if there had been one, it had burned out long ago. It had been a wonderful evening, no drama. Soothing. Exactly what she and Emily needed after the week they'd had.

That night, Avery had no trouble falling asleep. She breezed through the next day. And the next. Once again, her encounter with Mark seemed to be turning into something she had dreamed up. Had he really come to her house?

Avery had been exhausted. Maybe she had just conjured him up.

She knew better though. She also knew he was still lurking around town. She heard in a roundabout way that he was staying at the motel that was just a few blocks from her house. She hadn't seen him again since that night though, which was a miracle in itself considering how small the town was.

Emily celebrated the last day of school by packing for the weekend at her father's house. Avery was sad to see her go. Even though it was only 2 days, the house always felt so empty when her daughter wasn't in it.

Friday night was uneventful. Avery declined an invitation to eat at Ellie's house because even if she were lonely, she still wanted some time to herself. She took a long soak in her tub, and read for a bit before finally dozing off.

The sound of sirens woke her up sometime later. It was still dark outside. The ambulance went past the house with it's distinctive warble, followed by the flashing red lights of the sheriff's car. She blearily looked at the alarm clock. It was just past 4 in the morning. Sirens were such a rarity around town that it had pulled her out of a dead sleep. She yawned and tried to go back to sleep but the jarring noise and surge of adrenaline from the rude wake up conspired against her. She tossed the blanket back and went to the bathroom, then headed downstairs for a drink of water.

Another emergency vehicle flew by outside, siren blaring. Avery frowned and went to the front door, stepping out onto the porch. The police were heading toward town. But not too far in. The sirens cut off somewhere on the far side of the neighborhood.

Mildly curious but not curious enough to chase an ambulance – there were some people who would do it – Avery sat on her porch swing and shivered in the cool morning air. Cars went by on the road in front of the house, all in the direction of the flashing lights. There were even a few people walking.

"Like zombies." Avery muttered to herself. Jack would have found it funny. He would make jokes about hurrying to the scene of the accident and handing out his business cards – the very definition of an ambulance chaser.

It was nearly an hour later when the first of the onlookers moseyed past her house, going in the opposite direction. The sun was still down although the eastern sky had taken on a lighter tone. It had been a long time since Avery had watched the sunrise.

One of her neighbors walked along the sidewalk, looking shell-shocked. He spotted Avery and waved, then cut across her lawn to speak.

"Crazy morning."

Avery struggled to remember his name. Older guy, her dad's age. Ran the local garage. She got it. "What's going on, Mr. Branham?"

"Hard to tell. Sheriff said that Rob Williams got shot."

"What?" Avery could think of nothing else to say. She had been peripherally aware of Mark's stepfather for what felt like most of her life. Yes, partially because of her feelings for Mark, but mostly because what Mark had insinuated about him. He was...creepy. And that was a mild word. Every time Avery had seen him over the years, he had stared at her. And every time, she felt like she needed a shower afterward. She had heard the phrase 'undressing someone with your eyes', and had often wondered if it would be flattering from an acceptable source. But from Rob it was creepy.

It didn't help things that after Mark's mother had died, Rob had remarried. And she was dead within 5 years. Aneurysm, according to the rumor mill. Nora had a history of migraines and her doctor had warned her about her blood pressure.

Avery thought it sounded believable but at the same time didn't believe it. Rob went under her radar after that. She had been in the midst of a divorce after all. Real life trumped amateur detective hour.

She still saw him around town. He was always staring at some woman or other. Avery tried to stop thinking of him as some kind of crazed murderer. Nothing had been mentioned or hinted at or proven. But Mark's insistence that he had killed her mother still stuck with Avery.

"Doesn't look like he's gonna make it. Guess one of them women he takes home from the bar had a husband that didn't take well to him treadin' on claimed territory." Branham shook his head. "Gonna go back to bed. Bastard probably won't make it to the hospital, from what I heard." He raised a hand in a wave and continued walking. Avery could only watch after him, surprised at the lack of empathy in the older man's words.

So maybe she wasn't crazy to have avoided Rob. She wasn't the only one who sensed something off about him. And she found that she didn't have much empathy for him either.

Avery figured she should head back into bed. She had no reason to not sleep in that day. A movement across the road caught her eye. A familiar figure was walking up the street, away from town.

Mark. Again. He didn't stop, didn't even look her direction as far as Avery could tell. Of course from across the road, she was probably lose in the deep shadow cast by the overhanging roof. It didn't stop her from studying him as he walking up the block and out of sight. Now what was he doing out here? Avery shook her head. She was tired. Too tired. She didn't want to deal with any of this. She headed inside and went upstairs, pretty sure sleep would elude her but determined to try.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

Saturday morning dragged by. Saturday afternoon Avery busied herself with laundry and cleaning. By the evening, she gave up. Ellie was right. Avery did need to get out more and do things.

So she figured on starting small. Instead of cooking for herself – a prospect that she found depressing – she changed from her shorts and t-shirt into a skirt and silk tank top. She combed her long hair straight down her back, put on a bit of lip gloss, and headed out to treat herself to dinner out.

It did not bother Avery a bit to have dinner alone. She liked to people watch. She knew that some people wouldn't go anywhere unless they had a friend or a date but she was perfectly content to enjoy steak and salad in her town's only real sit-down restaurant without company.

Once dinner was finished, she spent a little time walking the shopping center, looking into windows, buying a few things for herself and Emily. She saw quite a few people she knew, and smiled and nodded, but she was happy to not engage in conversation with any of them. It was like they could sense her mood.

It was starting to get dark out when she got into her car and pondered her next stop. She could go home. Or she could drive thirty minutes and see a movie. She realized she had no idea what was playing. So she just drove. It was another warm May night. Avery frowned thoughtfully as she headed out of town. She knew exactly where she was going. And she really did not want to go there but felt like she had to.

The pond. By the time she drove down the gravel drive, night had fallen. She had not been here in years, not since Emily was a baby. Once Em had learned to swim, the pond hadn't been challenging enough. And to Avery it was a relief to go to the big lake instead. No memories there. So why the hell was she torturing herself by coming here now?

It was exactly how she remembered. Oh there were some differences. The old wooden picnic tables had been replaced with heavy-duty plastic and metal tables. A covered pavilion was off to one side, to accommodate birthday parties or gatherings. The beach still looked clean and white under the light of the rising moon, the water smooth and flat. No footprints. No one had made use of the beach, or it had been raked over earlier in the evening.

Avery got out of her car and looked around. Deserted, just as she'd thought it would be. And so quiet. Other than frogs and crickets, she couldn't even hear a car on the nearby road.

She had a sense of deja vu so strong it made her pause. She thought it over for a few moments and realized it was exactly 20 years to the day since the last time she'd been at the pond at night. It felt like just yesterday. And a lifetime ago.

With a sigh, Avery went to the picnic table nearest the beach. She sat on top of it, letting her feet rest on the seat as she stared out at the calm water.

Fifteen minutes passed. Then thirty. And then she heard a soft sound behind her. Footsteps. A part of her had known this would happen. Avery wasn't surprised. But she didn't turn. She waited him out. The anger from the other night was gone. She just wanted to know _why_.

"Are you gonna swim?" Mark's deep voice finally spoke from behind her. Avery felt a shiver go down her back at his words. She remembered.

"You're tryin' to distract me." A smile twitched the corners of her lips but it was a sad one. "I guess it worked, right?"

"You were not just a distraction." At least he wasn't doing the silent thing, making her wait it out. And as long as she didn't look at him, she could hold the hurt and the anger back.

"Then what was I?" Avery asked it softly. Did she really want to know the answer to that?

She felt the table move as he sat down behind her on the bench seat. "My best friend. The only person I trusted. Somebody I knew would listen." Avery could practically feel his eyes on her back. He was being smart, staying behind her. "I never wanted to hurt you." His voice dipped lower at that.

Avery was surprised by his words. His best friend? Since when? He paid her to drill him on facts to pass tests. That was it. She had no clue what to say either.

He didn't let that bother him. "It wasn't because of you. I wasn't ashamed of you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me." Mark huffed a laugh. It sounded rusty. "I wanted to see you. That's why I stuck around. Watching. I know it sounds...wrong." There was a deep sigh. "I'm sorry for just leaving you the way I did. For doing what I did."

"For doing what _we_ did." Avery corrected. "I wasn't...I'm not sorry it happened. I don't regret it. Why do you?" She felt tears building in her eyes.

"Are you kidding? I don't regret it. Hell, I dreamed about it a hundred times before it happened. I thought you would regret it once it sank in. I knew I wasn't good enough for you. Not even close. You deserved way better than me."

Avery sniffled but said nothing.

"Do you wanna know the real reason I couldn't talk to you? Or see you or contact you?"

"It would be nice." Avery said softly. "Although I know I wasn't your type. I wasn't pretty or popular or..."

"I wish you would stop that. Not pretty?" He made that strange laugh again. "You were beautiful."

"I was a mouse."

"You're crazy. Do you understand how many guys used to talk about you? Daydream about you? It used to piss the girls off."

Avery shook her head. "Yeah. That's me. Cleopatra among the peasants." Her voice was all sarcasm.

"You kinda were. Guys were afraid to approach you. Because of your dad. It's the kind of scrutiny that nobody would stand up under."

"And that's why you left?" Avery thought he was full of shit. Her, beautiful? Not in this lifetime.

"God no. It was your mom."

"My mom?" Avery raised an eyebrow.

"She never told you, I take it."

"Never told me what?" Avery asked, confused.

"That night. That I spent at your house." He paused thoughtfully. "It was early. Seven or eight. I heard a noise. I went to check it out and it was your mom. I surprised the hell out of her. But then she clamped down and hid it. She was pissed that I was there. And I told her everything."

"Everything?" Avery's voice was a whisper.

"I felt like I had to. I was never so scared in my whole life as I was sitting in your kitchen, in my underwear, with your mom standing over me." He sounded amused. "And she wanted to know what was going on. So I told her. Everything. About my mom. About you trying to help me. And that I knew I wasn't good enough for you but I loved you and wanted to be with you."

Avery sat in stunned silence. She couldn't have spoken if he'd put a gun to her head.

"The angry left her. She sat down and we...talked. I told her how I saw you. Perfect. Beautiful. Smart. Better than I deserved. I wanted to make myself better but didn't know how. I had nothing to offer you. And she said..." He paused for a moment. "Actually she thanked me. For being honest. And mature." He scoffed at the word. "Then she asked me to leave. She said that you'd be hurt but you'd get over it. That you would need time to sort out your life. That you were younger and that you might not want the same things I wanted. She made sense. I had already thought about that stuff, see? She wasn't planting new ideas in my head. So I told her I'd leave. Because of my mom but also because I didn't want to hold you back more than I already had. But I made her promise me that she'd stop tryin' to make you feel smaller than you were. Stop tryin' to turn you into something you weren't." He let out a deep breath and stopped talking finally. Avery didn't know he had that many words in him.

And it explained why her mother, who until that point had been critical of everything that Avery did, had changed how she viewed her daughter. And she had known that Avery had slept with Mark. "She never said a word. About knowing. Never even hinted that she knew." But she remembered her mom buying that dress, the black one. The one she'd said meant she was ready to be a woman. Now Avery understood it wasn't just the graduation she was talking about.

"She asked if we were safe. I said we were. That seemed to settle her down." Mark added thoughtfully. "I shouldn't have listened to her. I should have stayed. I wanted to. But I don't think I was ready to stand up to your mom."

"Nobody was ever ready for that." Avery observed. She absently wiped at her cheeks, brushing away a few stray tears. "You loved me." She said it as a statement.

"Never could tell you. Never felt comfortable sayin' stuff like that." Mark admitted. "And I didn't think I deserved you. But for a while I kept sneakin' back. Like a thief." Again the rusty laugh. "Saw you graduate. And saw you dance. You were good. Not that I know a about that stuff but...you were sad. I felt it. And then you went to college and..."

Avery raised an eyebrow. She slid from the table and stood for a moment, indecisive. And then she turned to look at him.

Her memory of that night twenty years ago tried to impose on the reality of Mark now. It was an odd feeling. He still sported a dark t-shirt, his long hair tied back once again in a braid. She looked him over thoughtfully. At some point over the years he had gotten tattoos. A lot of them. Both is arms were covered up to the sleeves of his shirt.

Her heart was thumping in her chest. She once again wondered how he still managed to do that to her. Those butterflies were back, making her feel self-conscious. She hadn't forgiven him. But he'd given her plenty to think about.


	11. Chapter 11

11.

Mark was wearing a thoughtful smile as he eyed her from head to toe. "You haven't changed much."

"You have. Where did you go? What happened to you?"

His hands were laced together on the tabletop. He dropped his eyes to look at them. "Joined the Marines that fall. I used to think that I was in shape." Mark smirked. "Spent six years doing some wild shit. I was angry a lot of the time. Because of Mom and giving you up. It took a long time to work through that. And then when I got out of the military I moved to Houston. Got a job as a cop." He snorted softly. "Last thing in the world I ever thought I'd be. Got promoted to detective a couple of months ago. Figured I finally had my life sort out, right? Then I got an invitation to this reunion and I started thinking about things. About you. And I wondered how you were. If you were still angry. Your mom said that you'd forgive me eventually. I believed it. Guess I learned she got _that_ part wrong."

"She didn't know me as well as she thought she did." Avery said. She slowly moved and sat down across from him, on the bench this time.

"You got married." It wasn't a question.

"For a while." Avery said. "It didn't work out. He was more married to his job. What about you?"

"Me? Nothing ever really stuck." He shrugged. They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither quite knowing how to proceed.

She figured being honest was a good start. She wasn't a naive kid anymore. And since he had laid everything out she figured she owed him something in return. "I felt the same way, you know?"

Mark looked at her. "About?"

"About you. That I wasn't good enough for you. I had such a huge crush on you before you asked for my help. And then I guess I actually fell for you. Hard." Avery put her hand against her stomach. "Every time I looked at you I felt like...ugh. Hard to describe. The reason what happened, happened was because I did love you. You didn't talk me into anything I didn't want to do. I was just afraid you were only doing it because...well. I was conveniently there and you were upset."

"I didn't mean to make it feel like I was just usin' you, Avery." Mark said softly. Once again, the sound of her name in that deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. It was ridiculous. That was 20 years ago. She was over it, over him.

But that damned attraction was still there.

Avery had no idea how to counteract it. Or if she should try. Or act on it. Or just walk away and let it die again. Mark was still looking at her, and it made her feel weak. He'd always been so intense, and that hadn't changed. Like he was trying to see into her mind, or figure her out.

Instead of speaking, she got up and walked away from the table. Toward the water. Sand spilled into her shoes and she paused to kick them off and sighed when her toes sank into the warm sand. She glanced back at the table, where Mark was still sitting and watching her with interest. So where did they go from here? Was that it? Had they both just needed to get it off their chests so they could move on finally?

Avery had no idea. She was pretty sure it hadn't been ancient history that had caused her marriage to come undone. She'd married a friend, and she loved Jack but it hadn't been enough. Her life had been good. She had a job she loved, a beautiful daughter. She couldn't ask for more. So it wasn't like what had happened had turned her into a man hating hermit.

But it had left an impression. She remembered the first time she'd slept with Jack. It had been fine. Not earth shaking, but pleasurable. It felt safe. The thought almost made her laugh. She knew that when a person thought of sex, feelings of security probably wouldn't be on top of the list of what came to mind. But it was apt. Sex with Mark had felt dangerous. Exciting. Not only because it had been her first time but because together they were greater than their single selves. Somehow.

She figured it was something her mother had noticed. Noticed and been terrified of it. Mark was everything Suzanne had been against. So of course she had agreed with Mark's request. What other choice did she have?

Avery had to hand it to her mother. She'd sell her soul to ensure her kids did better than her. Even if it meant make her daughter miserable in the process.

She wanted to stop. Just stop thinking. Just let it all go and live in the moment. Hell, had she ever done that? After that night?

And without thinking about it, Avery reached down and tugged the silky material of her tank top up. She tossed the shirt toward her shoes and slipped out of her skirt, sending it in the same direction as her shirt. That left her in a black bra and matching panties, rather conservative undergarments. At least this time she was wearing a bra. She remembered something else too, something that she'd forgotten, or had made herself forget. That power she had felt when she was with Mark. In her mind she could hear his soft moan against her ear, and the memory sent another shiver down her back.

"What are you doing?" Mark's voice cut into her thoughts. While she had been distracted, he had gotten up and approached but still stayed on the grass.

Avery shrugged. "Swimming?" With that she half-smiled and headed for the water.

It wasn't arm but it wasn't cold either. She waded in past her knees then took a deep breath and plunged in. She came up gasping at the cool sensation on her skin. It only took a minute to get used to it. She was nearly at the center of the pond when she turned and looked back toward the beach. And lost her footing. Mark was right behind her in the water. She hadn't even heard him, she'd been concentrating on swimming.

"You scared me." Avery managed to sputter.

"Sorry." But he was smirking. "Avery..." He stood up, and she took in his broad shoulders. And more tattoos. "Pretty sure this is what got us into trouble the last time." She could tell he didn't want to say it but felt he had to.

She could also tell she still held a bit of that power over him. Time had given her perspective. Back then she hadn't known what it was. Now she did. He still wanted her. For whatever reason, he wanted her. She didn't know if she'd ever get past thinking she was plain at best, no matter what he said.

"Swimming?" She played innocent.

"Sure." Again with the smirk. "Look. I don't harbor the notion that you're ready to forgive me yet. I wish it was true but I know better. And I don't wanna do anything now that you'd regret."

" _We_." Avery corrected him again.

Mark shook his head. "No. Because I wouldn't regret it at all. We had somethin' together. Hell if I know what it was was, or why it was. Never felt anything like it again."

Avery lifted her eyebrows. So he felt the same way. She didn't know why it surprised her.

"Kinda worried it won't be like that again." He continued, voice lower.

She didn't get a chance to answer. The unmistakable sound of a car approaching on the gravel road could be heard. It was getting louder. They both turned and saw headlights through the trees. Apparently whoever it was spotted the parked vehicles. They stopped and there were several minutes of quiet. Then the car backed up the way it had come in.

"This place isn't nearly as private as it used to be." Avery commented. She was a little disappointed when she should have felt relieved. If nothing else, the car had served to remind her that things had changed. A lot of things had changed. She sighed. "I should probably head home. It's late."

She didn't give him time to answer that. Avery pushed off and swam back toward the shore. Not rushing. She wasn't trying to run away from him like before because she was scared. She picked up her clothes and realized she was going to ruin her silk shirt by getting it wet. And decided she didn't care. She could buy another shirt.

"Avery..." Mark had caught up to her again. She glanced at him and did a double take. One thing had changed anyway. He hadn't bothered wearing the boxers this time.

"Follow me. Back to my place." She was stepping into her skirt, not looking at him again after that initial realization that he was naked. "I'm not a kid anymore. And I'm sure not up to trying to do this in a car again." She picked up her shoes. "Once again, I have the place to myself until tomorrow night. And I'm pretty sure nobody is going to pop in early to scare you off."

Avery headed for her car, not giving him time to argue or ask questions. She still wasn't sure if she were doing the right thing. At the moment, it felt like the only thing.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

She half expected him to ditch her. Either that or maybe she would come to her senses. But he pulled into the driveway behind her and shut off his engine. And Avery's mind was set.

She led the way through the kitchen door. Then she grabbed his hand and started to pull him toward the stairs. Mark stopped though, and pulled her back until she was pressed against him, his arms going around her.

And then he was kissing her. There was nothing tentative about it. His lips covered hers and his tongue probed her, and Avery could feel every bit of urgency. She kissed him back, reaching up to hold his face between her palms, feeling the rough scrape of beard stubble against her palms. She pressed closer to him, almost desperate in her need to feel him against her.

He finally broke for air. They were both panting. "Ok." Mark said it in a low voice. Avery grinned and grabbed his hand, leading the way up the stairs to her room. Once there she kicked off her shoes and tugged her shirt over her head. Mark watched her with interest as she slipped the skirt off. Then she looked at him as she unhooked the clasp on her bra and shrugged it off her shoulders.

He was riveted by her movements. And his eyes kept roaming her body, from her eyes to her mouth, down to her bare breasts, her stomach, her legs. Then back up. Avery felt herself flushing at the scrutiny.

"I know...I've had a kid." She self-consciously rubbed at faint stretch marks on her otherwise smooth stomach.

"You're beautiful." He said simply. Mark was still breathing hard. The sound was like music to her ears.

"I've never thought so." Avery sighed. She hooked the sides of her panties and skimmed them down her legs and stood naked in front of him.

"I wish you could see yourself through my eyes." Mark said, tugging his shirt off. He bent to take off his boots, and Avery took the opportunity to crawl onto the bed. She lay back against her pillow and propped herself up on her elbows, watching as he pushed the snug jeans off his hips.

There was definitely nothing boyish about him now. And looking at him still sent the same fluttery butterfly feeling through her stomach. And some of the same fear. She couldn't believe she was doing this; at the same time she couldn't believe it had taken this damn long to do this again.

Mark joined her on the bed. Now that they were here, he stopped putting up any sort of token resistance. He moved until he was on top of her and lay against her, his full body pressed down into hers. He closed his eyes and moaned softly at the feel of her.

Avery reached up and tugged at his braid, pulling the elastic that held his hair loose. She smoothed her fingers through his hair, undoing the braid. "You get away with long hair with your job?"

Mark smirked. "I get away with a _lot_ with my job." He shifted slightly, letting her feel his hardening cock against her leg. At the same time he ducked his head and brushed his mouth against hers. Avery tangled her fingers into his hair and deepened the kiss, feeling her stomach tighten with every swipe of his tongue against hers. The butterflies had turned electric again. His hand slid down her chest to cover one of her breasts, and she arched her back to push against him. He moved his hand, lifting it just enough so that his palm grazed her nipple. He repeated the motion on the other breast, moving his hand back and forth, so slow it was maddening.

Mark released her mouth, leaving them both gasping for air. He ducked his head and nuzzled the warm skin of her neck, her shoulder, letting his mouth forge a trail across her skin. Avery let go of his hair and laid her palms on his shoulders, sliding them over his arms, sighing at how he felt. If she had any regret from the past it was that she hadn't gotten to touch him enough. She hadn't known to touch him. He seemed to sense her need to use her hands so she shifted, lifting his body a bit so she could slide her hands down his chest and stomach, up his sides, down his back. She lightly raked her nails up his back, moaning at the sound he made. Then she moaned louder when his hot mouth closed over her nipple.

Her hips came up every time his tongue moved against the hard little bud. He let her go and squeezed her again, spurred on by the soft sounds coming from her.

Avery took that for as long as she could stand it. As good as it felt, she wanted more. She pushed at his shoulders and rolled him to the side, then straddled his waist. He seemed surprised by that. But Avery figured they could finesse each other later. The immediate need was far stronger. Besides that, he'd gotten to control things the first time around. This time it was her turn.

Mark looked up at her, eyes darker than normal, taking in her messy hair and flushed skin. Avery moved back, until she was straddling his hips. His cock twitched, bumping her. It made her smile. She slowly lowered herself but did not let him enter her, not just yet. Instead she slid against him, rubbing herself against his rigid member. Mark hissed in a breath at the heat coming from her, reaching out to cup her breasts in his hands. He squeezed in time to her movements, tweaking her nipples, pinching her lightly.

It was torture for both of them. Mark barely held himself in check, watching her move against him. And Avery could feel the tension building in her already. They'd barely done anything and already she was braced for the climax of her life. She knew it was mostly mental – the same thing had happened that first time.

She gave up on the teasing. She shifted one last time and reached down to guide him into her ready body. Mark held himself perfectly still, and she could see his teeth clench as she lowered herself onto his cock. She braced her hands on his hard stomach and slowly rotated her hips, watching his eyes roll back at the sensation.

Again she was hit by that feeling of power. She'd never felt it with Jack. She didn't doubt that Jack had wanted to be with her, but there had not been this ever-driving need. Thought was pretty much lost to sensation as she began riding Mark, first moving up and down, then back and forth, sliding him in and out in short, hard movements that gave her the most of the contact, pressed together as they were.

His deep moaning filled her ears and she panted and moaned in response. He was squeezing her tighter, pressing her breasts together, letting her go to grab her hips and jerk upward. Avery cried out hoarsely as it sent her over the edge, entire body feeling as if it were on fire. She could feel him inside her, spasming, as he groaned out his own release.

Out of breath, Avery collapsed against his chest and smiled tiredly at his thudding heartbeat in her ear. He slid his hands up her back and soothed her, touching her everywhere his hands could reach.

"You're amazing." His voice was hoarse, low. It send another one of those shivers down her back.

" _We_." Avery corrected him again, almost purring as he stroked her back.

She felt his chest vibrate against her ear as he chuckled. "Yeah. We're amazing. But it was over way too fast."

"Well, we're still in the bed." Avery pointed out. "I'm not the same mouse I used to be, you know."

"You were never a mouse." Mark chided. "I keep thinkin' I took advantage. I didn't know how you felt about me, or if you felt anything about me. And I took somethin' from you that you couldn't get back."

Avery snorted softly. "I wanted more."

He seemed surprised by that. "I was afraid to touch you after that. When we came back here. Like I'd be breaking the spell."

"I wish I knew then what I know now." Avery said with a sigh. "Things might have been way different for both of us." She kissed him on the center of his chest and looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Will you stay the night?"

"Yes." Mark didn't hesitate.

"And will you be here when I wake up in the morning?"

"Unless you kick me out. Yes."

"Good." Avery pushed herself up, aware he was still inside her. Softening but that could be corrected. She let her fingers slide down his chest and stomach, a smile exposing the dimple in her cheek. "We forgot the condom this time."

Mark frowned at that. "Shit. I wasn't thinkin'..."

She laughed. "It's fine. I've got it taken care of." She had just wanted to mess with him a little. She slowly shifted, moving him slightly inside her. And was rewarded with a twitch as he started swelling again. They still had a lot of catching up to do.


	13. Chapter 13

13.

Mark was in the shower the next morning while Avery made breakfast. They'd spent most of the night doing everything but sleeping. Eventually the most pressing need had been satisfied. They'd talked. Not about anything in particular. And Avery couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so well. Of course years of getting up by 7 meant that she was awake way too early. She didn't mind so much. She'd opened her eyes to Mark pressed up against her back, arm around her waist.

She had to admit, a part of her was relieved. She half-expected that he would be gone before she got up again. She'd rolled over and had studied him in the bright morning light, taking in the plains and angles of his face. Eventually she had to get up. She took a shower. By the time she was done and dressed he was awake, sitting at the edge of her bed with his hair a wild mess.

Tempting as it had been to crawl back into bed with him, Avery had headed for the stairs. She would need a least a little time before instigating round 2. And food. She was starving.

The knock on her front door made her frown and glance at the clock. It was barely past 9 on a Sunday morning. Emily wouldn't be home until late, and nobody ever stopped by that early. She turned the head down under the bacon she was frying and grabbed a towel to wipe her and as she went to the door.

The sheriff stood on her front porch. Confused, she raised her eyebrows. "Sheriff Walls. What can I do for you?"

Walls smiled. It didn't touch his eyes. Travis Walls had been sheriff of their town for almost 30 years. There were always rumors of his impending retirement but so far he was holding on to his position with both hands.

"Ms. Landry." He nodded at her. "Have a bit of a situation on my hands. I'd like to talk to your visitor." Walls looked pointedly at Mark's car, parked in her driveway.

"What situation?" Avery felt herself wanting to go on the defensive. She didn't care for Walls. Never had. Especially after Mark telling her about the day his mother had died and Walls had seen fit to share a beer with the man who may or may not have killed her. It wasn't just that though. There was something _off_ about him. She didn't think she'd classify it as a pervy vibe, but she couldn't define it either.

"Course you heard about Rob Williams." He resumed staring at her.

"Got shot. Is he dead?" Avery hadn't given the man much thought. He hadn't seemed worth the brain power.

"Not for lack of somebody tryin'." Walls made a face. "Gut shot. Lost a lot of blood, tore up his insides. But they managed to sew him back up."

"Good?" She made it a question. Avery seriously doubted anyone in town would care if Rob pulled through or not. Except for the sheriff of course. He suddenly seemed to care.

Walls chose to ignore her sarcasm. "Seems kinda...convenient...Calaway comin' back into town and his dad gettin' shot."

"That's not his dad." Avery said, making a face.

Again, he ignored her. "I need to ask him some questions." Walls leveled her with a look. "You might wanna think about who you're keepin' company with, Ms. Landry. Wouldn't look too good, elementary teacher messin' around with a possible criminal. Folks won't like that too much, knowin' you're around their kids."

Avery was taken aback by that. Criminal? How funny that Mark was a criminal in his eyes yet Rob had been some sort of a saint. And there had been a very thinly disguised threat in there about her job. She didn't want to worry about it – she was damned good at what she did, the kids loved her, her teachers loved her. But she had seen the kind of pull Walls had with certain people around town. The mayor. Business owners. Even members of the school board.

She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. Walls seemed to be waiting for it. Had, in fact, set himself up for it. She realized he was looking for a reason to make good on the threat.

Instead of ripping him a new one, which he undoubtedly deserved, she smiled sweetly. "If you'll wait right there." She didn't wait for an answer. She shut the door in his face. She heard Mark coming down the stairs behind her.

"What is it?" He'd gotten dressed in the clothes he'd had on the night before. The rest of his things were back at the motel. The plan had been to run down there and change, then come back for breakfast. Avery had the bad feeling that breakfast was canceled. She didn't think she'd be able to eat anyway.

"Sheriff Walls. Wants to questions you about Rob Williams."

At the man's name, a cloud seemed to pass over Mark's featured. He frowned. "What the hell would they wanna ask me? I haven't spoke to that son of a bitch in over 20 years."

"He got shot." Avery pointed out. And wondered why Mark didn't know. It had been big news around town. Such a crime, while not unheard of, was unusual.

Mark only looked at her. "And?"

She would have laughed had the situation not been so serious. He obviously didn't care. "And they want to ask you about it."

"Did he die?" Mark asked.

"No. Apparently not."

"Then it really wasn't me. I woulda finished the job." It was said with such utter contempt that Avery's eyes widened in surprise. Mark didn't seem to notice. He went to the door and opened it to see Walls still standing there, waiting. "Ask your questions."

Walls smiled grimly. Again, it didn't touch his eyes. "I'd rather we do this in my office. Make it more formal for the record."

"Great. I'll get my car and follow you."

"I'd rather..."

"Am I under arrest?" Mark cut the older man off.

Walls narrowed his eyes at him. "Not at this time. No."

"Then I'll damned sure take my own car." Mark waved a hand at Walls and shut the door in his face again. He turned to Avery. "I'll deal with this as quick as I can."

"Sure." Avery had crossed her arms, hugging herself, wondering why she felt so cold when moments before there had been nothing but happy thoughts.

"Avery..." Mark stepped toward her. She looked up at him and smiled, but it was weak. Mark took her arms and rubbed gently. "I'm not gonna let this jackass bully me around. He probably thinks I'm still the same dumb kid. I promise you, I'll be back."

"I know you will." She said softly. Mark hesitated another moment then ducked his head and kissed her.

"Save me some breakfast."

"Yeah..." She watched as he went out the door. She could hear them go down the stairs. The house again felt much emptier than it had before. "Great." She whispered that. It was like the universe was working against the relationship that she and Mark were trying to rekindle. Or kindle. Hell, they hadn't really had a relationship before.

And now she had this to worry about. As much as Mark hated his stepfather, she didn't believe he would ever actually try to hurt the man, let alone kill him.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

Avery lost her appetite for breakfast. And lunch. By the time afternoon rolled around, her happy mood from earlier was completely replaced with a low grade worry that was all too familiar. Also, a bit of anger that was familiar too.

It wasn't until Emily got home that Avery finally relaxed. Her daughter was sharp. She would figure out something was wrong. So they had cooked a late supper and Emily had gone to her room to play on her computer for a bit. Avery was going to call it a night. She was still tired from the night before.

The phone rang before she made it to the stairs. Avery picked it up with a frown and glanced at the clock. It was after 10. She immediately wondered if something had happened to her dad. It seemed like that only reason anyone had called her this late in recent memory had been related to her mother's health.

"Hello?" Avery said it cautiously.

"Hey."

She relaxed at the sound of Mark's voice. Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, expectant look on her face. "Hey." Avery waved at her daughter. At least this time, the phone wasn't for her.

"Sorry to call so late. Couldn't seem to get out of there."

"What happened?" Avery took the phone to the front porch and sat on the swing. A strong breeze was blowing. The smell of rain was in the air. Avery loved that smell. She could hear the first of the drops falling on the tree leaves in front of the house.

"Oh just a lot of bullshit." Mark sighed heavily. "He asked where I was, what I was doin' here, what I was doin' with _you._ I don't think he liked it when I told him it was none of his goddamned business. And he kept askin' about my _relationship_ with that asshole that got shot." Avery could hear the spite in his voice at the word. "I haven't talked to, or wanted to talk to, that piece of shit since the day I left." He got quiet for a moment. "Sorry. I'm just tired and aggravated."

"Yeah. I know that feeling." Avery said with a smirk.

"And I worried all day that you were thinkin' I was gonna run off again."

"But you didn't." Avery pointed out. "Are you back at the motel?"

"Yeah." He sighed again. "Seems a lot lonelier now."

Avery smiled at that. "I'd invite you over, but you haven't even met my daughter. And it's late."

"I know. And I don't wanna intrude on your family."

"You're not. But...baby steps. I haven't brought anybody home since her dad and I split up. And I don't want to rush this."

"Any more than we already have?" Mark said with a chuckle.

"Well. That was 20 years coming. I mean whatever comes next."

"What do you want to come next?"

Avery thought it over for a moment. "I don't know. I'm too scared to imagine."

"Scared?" Mark asked, confused. "Darlin' if I need to back off..."

"Ha. Yes. Another 10 years or so and I might figure out what I want."

"Not that backed off. I mean if you need a few days. I'm here for a couple of weeks. There's not a big rush. I'd rather enjoy what time we have and not put any kinda pressure on it. At least not yet."

"No pressure. Got it." Avery said it softly.

"I'm not sayin' I don't want to see what we got..."

"I know. Believe it or not, I am an adult now. I can handle taking things slow." Avery snorted. "It doesn't mean I have to like it. So maybe one night this week you can come over for dinner, and meet Emily. Night to be determined later."

"I'll look forward to it. Now go get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."

They said their goodbyes and Avery sat with the phone in her hand, listening to the rainfall but not really hearing it. It was true she had not really thought about what came next when it came to Mark. Were they just going to sleep together a few times then he'd head back to Houston? The thought left her feeling rather hollow.

"You should have thought of this shit before you slept with him again, Av." She chided herself and finally got up. Bed. She needed 8 solid hours of sleep. And then she'd worry about where she was going with Mark.

The next morning she dropped Emily off at Danielle's dance studio. Some things never change. The dance school was still there, although Danielle only ran the business end. Her daughters actually taught the classes. Avery headed to the school. Even though the last day had been Friday, she still had about a week's worth of planning and paperwork to do before she would be officially done.

Most of it involved cleaning out her files. She had to box up the graduated fifth grader files for storage, and start creating new files for incoming first graders. They were already in the computer, but they kept paper copies as well so that the teacher has reference material. So far the push to go strictly computer had been very hit and miss. It meant a little more paperwork but it seemed to be a good system.

Ellie reminded her to take a lunch break. The morning had flown by. Quite a few teachers were there, stripping the classrooms down. Every year they got new materials to hang up, and new decorations. But for deep cleaning purposes, once school was out the rooms were stripped of everything so that the custodial staff could get their jobs done efficiently.

"I'm tired of looking at tacky tape. This stuff is gross." Ellie observed as they headed outside. She was picking gummy tape off of her fingers, lip curled in disgust.

"It's not the tape, it's the cleaner you use to get it off." Avery observed. They walked the two blocks to a small cafe on the first intersection in town. The place was tiny, and nowt hat school was out, the lunch crowd was thin. They took a table in a corner and ordered sandwiches, chips, and drinks. They didn't talk again until they had their food.

"I heard your buddy got taken in for questioning yesterday." Ellie said, around a mouthful of food.

"My buddy?" Avery raised an eyebrow.

"Yup. Also heard they picked him up at your house." Ellie wiggled her eyebrows, making Avery laugh. "You know how it goes. Your business is everybody's business around here."

"Everybody's business is everybody's business around here." Avery muttered, munching on a chip. "And yes. He did get asked some questions. I guess." She wasn't sure exactly what questions, since Mark hadn't seemed too eager to get her involved in it on the phone the night before.

"Poor guy. In town for less than a week, already hot on the rumor circuit." Ellie looked around. "Remember the rumors when he took off?"

Avery frowned. "What rumors?" She had been too upset to pay attention to any rumors at the time, not that she ever put any sort of bank into gossip. People needed better hobbies, in her estimation.

"That your mom paid him off."

Avery choked on her soda. The offhand way Ellie had said it was what caused it. It took a minute to stop coughing. "Why...would my mom...pay him off?" She finally managed to ask between coughs.

Ellie was grinning. "Because he had the hots for you. And your mom didn't want that anywhere near you." She sobered. "I'm sorry. It's not nice, since she just passed away..." 

Avery waved that off. "How the hell would anybody get the idea that my mom paid Mark to take off?"

"Who knows how shit gets started?" Ellie shrugged. "You two were seeing an awful lot of each other though."

"I was tutoring him."

"And what are you doing with him now?" Ellie smirked.

"Still tutoring him." Avery didn't miss a beat. It made Ellie laugh.

"Remember Jon?" At Avery's confused look. "Jon Ashton? God's gift to high school girls? He said that Mark bragged to him about it."

"Why would Mark brag to him? I didn't know they were friends." Avery said it cautiously. It was a long time ago, but she was pretty sure they ran in completely different circles. Just like the cliques that formed around certain things – sports, money, cars, cloths – the clique itself could be separated even more. Jocks didn't hang out with all other jocks. The basketball types tended to avoid the football types, and vice versa. They were constantly trying to one-up each other, which made no sense to Avery.

"They weren't. Which is why I thought it was utter horseshit." Ellie grinned again. "I think Jon was jealous. He was chompin' at the bit to ask you out but Mark cock blocked him."

"What? When?"

Ellie started laughing. "Right before prom. He was going to ask you. Be the first brave one to go against the evil dragon principal and rescue the princess. Because apparently prom is like the ball where the prince picks his Cinderella."

Avery had to snort a laugh at that. The joke was on Jon. When it was time for prom, she'd never had any intention of going even if she were asked. Not only was she two to three years younger than everybody else there, but at the time her self-esteem wasn't high enough to let her believe that anyone would want to date her unless they had some 'Carrie' level pranking planned for the night.

"And yet I sat at home, promless."

"I told you. Cock blocked. Mark told him to stay the fuck away from you, and he was just scary enough for Jon to believe he'd better." Ellie polished off her sandwich. "You about ready to head back? I still have two walls to go before I can tackle the cabinets."

"Sure." Avery finished her drink and left enough money on the table to cover their food and the tip. Although the concept of Mark stepping in on her behalf was rather funny, the tidbit about her mother had stung. Because it sounded like something her mother might do.

Mark had said they'd talked. And it went more toward Suzanne's nature to pay off the boy she feared was soiling her daughter rather than being forced to make a promise to play nice. The sandwich she ate, which had been good, seemed to sit like a brick in her stomach. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it. But when it came to her mother, Avery was well aware of the lengths she would have gone to get her way.


	15. Chapter 15

15.

When Avery and Emily sat down to dinner that night, she cautiously brought up Mark. She didn't doubt her daughter could handle a dinner guest but Avery was wary of moving things too fast.

Mark had called earlier just to check in. She was still at work. She wanted to ask him about the things Ellie had brought up but stopped herself. That was a conversation more suited to a face to face meeting. Besides that, she wanted time to think before getting into all of that stuff.

So she had tentatively asked him to dinner the next night and he had agreed. That just left talking to Emily.

"is that the guy from the cemetery?" Emily asked.

"Yes. We were...friends. A long time ago." Avery hesitated on the word. It didn't quite seem to fit what they had been.

"Friends?" Emily grinned impishly.

Avery had to laugh at her expression. "Yes."

"What is he, like an old high school sweetheart or something?" Avery took a bite of her salad.

"Or something. Is it weird that I asked him over?"

Avery thought that over. "Not really. Why would it be weird?"

"Because..." Avery couldn't think of a reason. Why would it be weird? Because they'd slept together? That wasn't the kind of thing she felt comfortable bringing up to her teenage daughter. "I don't know. I've never invited any guy over to meet you."

"So is this the backward version of meeting the parents or something? Do you like him?"

"I guess. And..yes. I do. But we haven't seen each other in a really long time..."

"I think it's sweet. Plus, it's not like this is the first time I've been introduced to a _friend_. I met Dad's _friend_ Pam a few weeks ago." She kept emphasizing 'friend'. Avery almost found it funny.

"Your dad's been seeing somebody?" It surprised her. She didn't know why. Jack was a handsome, successful guy. He deserved to find somebody and be happy. And so did she.

"Yeah. Was it supposed to be a deep dark secret?" Emily laughed. "She's nice. She doesn't let Dad work when she's around." 

"Oh really? She must be something." Avery said with a laugh.

"And I don't mind meeting this Mark guy. It'll be fun. You should go out more."

"People keep telling me." Avery said. But part of her was very relieved. She had worried that Emily would be upset about bringing some stranger into the house. But she should have known. Emily's outgoing nature meant she didn't really know a stranger.

When Mark showed up promptly at 6, Emily was the one who answered the door. She grinned up at him, flashing her dimple. "Howdy, Mom's friend."

He smiled back at her, cautiously. "Howdy yourself. I'm Mark."

"Emily. Come on in. Mom's in the kitchen." She led the way.

Avery smiled at him from where she was setting the table. "Hey."

"Hey. Smells great." He seemed to relax a bit. Avery had made fried chicken, another one of Emily's favorites. "I should have brought a dessert or something."

"We've got it covered." Emily said, taking a seat at the table. She watched Mark pull out a chair for Avery, smiling to herself. No matter what her mom might say about being friends, the guy was obviously smitten.

They spent a long leisurely time over dinner, talking, catching up. Mark told them a few of his funnier stories about being a police officer. Avery could match him story for story. Working around kids gave her plenty of ammunition.

Emily volunteered to clean up so the two of them could sit outside. Avery raised a brow at that; Emily would clean her room, do laundry, vacuum, and mop but had never been a fan of washing dishes. She really must have sensed something between the adults.

Avery led Mark out to the porch swing. The rain from the night before had moved on. It was another warm night. "We'll do dessert in a little bit." Avery said once they had gotten settled.

"I don't know if I can eat anymore." Mark said with a chuckle.

"You'd better make room. We got you a birthday cake."

He looked surprised at that. "I forgot about that. Never really celebrated my birthday to begin with. Had even less reason after mom passed." Mark got quiet and looked at her. "That was a bad day that you made better."

"Technically it was the next day." Avery pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah." Mark shook his head.

They got quiet. Avery rested her head against Mark's shoulder. She wanted to ask him about the rumors, about the questioning by the sheriff, about all of the years they had missed. But she also didn't want to break the quiet between them. It was comfortable. She couldn't remember ever being able to sit comfortably and quietly with a person.

And maybe she was afraid of what she might find out.

Ellie's thoughts from the day before had stuck with her. It was just rumors of course but the years Suzanne had spent making Avery doubt herself were not easy to overcome. She wasn't the same kid she was back then, but somewhere inside that kid still lurked. Avery thought if she was smart she'd probably start seeing a shrink and work out her issues for real. She was letting 20 year old rumors cloud everything.

"What's on your mind?" Mark's voice was a low, soft rumble. Avery shook her head against his shoulder.

"Nothing that won't keep until tomorrow." Or the next day, she added silently.

"You sure? If it's something I can help with..."

"I just don't want to deal with it right now. Tomorrow, for sure. It'll keep." Avery soothed him.

"All right." Mark gave up. He shifted so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You kid is somethin' else. Smart like you. Pretty. You're lucky."

"Yeah, I am." Avery snuggled against his side. "Did you ever get married?"

He snorted a laugh. "Nah. Nothin' seemed to stick. Dated one woman for a while but she wasn't too interested in becomin' permanent. No kids either. Never could figure out what it was I was lookin' for."

"I thought I knew." Avery admitted. "Which is why we're divorced I guess. Jack felt safe. I thought I needed safe. But I did get Emily out of it. I wouldn't trade her for anything."

"Was...is he a good guy?" Mark asked.

Avery could tell there was an underlying question there. "Yeah. We're still friends. Just didn't mesh well married." She sighed. "We should go cut your cake."

Mark chuckled. "If you insist."

"Emily might. I'm surprised she hasn't come out here looking for us."

"I think she was giving us time. Smart kid." Mark said wryly. Avery laughed and got up. She didn't complain when Mark reached out for her hand and pulled her close. He ducked down and brushed his lips over hers, kissing her lightly. "Been wantin' to do that all night." He said when he pulled back.

"Come on. Don't get distracted." She pulled him along behind her into the house before they both forgot where they were.

Avery dropped Emily off at the dance studio the next morning. Instead of going to work, which she should – she still had a lot to do – she headed for the motel where Mark was staying. She wanted to talk to him about things of course but after their pleasant evening yesterday she was interested in a little more than that.

She probably should have called first.

His room was on the first floor, toward the back. Avery knocked and looked around, waiting. He could have still been sleeping. She sometimes forgot that not everybody got up at 7 in the morning like she tended to.

The door opening broke into her thoughts. The smile that had formed on her face faded. A woman stood in front of her. She was gorgeous, tall, long auburn hair, deep brown eyes. She was wearing a towel. Avery could hear the shower running from somewhere deeper in the room.

"Sorry..." Avery looked at the number on the door. She could have sworn this was the room Mark said was his. Maybe she misheard the number. "I think I have the wrong room."

"Ok." The red-head smiled uncertainly. "Oh. Are you looking for Mark? He's in the shower." The smile turned into a grin. She gestured in the direction of the bathroom. Avery looked from the woman, over her shoulder, to the closed door across the room.

"He sounds busy." Avery said, stepping backward. "I'll just see him later."

"You can wait..." The woman was gesturing at the bed. Singular. Avery hadn't even noticed it. It wasn't a double room.

"That's all right. I have to get to work." It was hard to not run back to her car but Avery managed. She heard the door close behind her. And breathed a huge sigh of relief. That had been awkward.

And then the anger hit her. What the hell? Mark had failed to mention he was sharing his room with some woman. Among the many things they had talked about the night before, somehow the redhead had slipped his mind. Avery tried to tell herself it might not be anything but what the hell was she supposed to think when a half-naked strange woman answered a guy's motel room door?

Instead of going to the school, Avery went back home. Today would not be the day for getting work done. And Mark could find her there. And she honestly did not want to even look at him at the moment. She did something she rarely had to do – Avery parked her car in the garage at the back of the driveway. And then she locked all the doors to the house and drew the blinds. The best hiding spot of all, in her opinion, was at home.


	16. Chapter 16

16.

Of course, hiding at home was boring too. It didn't help that Mark had called her a few times, and she was pretty sure he'd stopped by at least once. As it got closer to lunchtime, Avery'd had enough. She didn't want to see him or talk to him because she was still angry, but she'd be damned if she had to lock herself away just because he failed to mention some important details about his visit.

That didn't stop her from making sure the coast was clear before going out and getting her car. She headed for the dance studio. Emily was working there part time that summer, helping teach the little ones. She spotted her mother and grinned. "Jump in, Mom. You remember this stuff."

Avery had to laugh. Emily wasn't entirely wrong. The drills didn't change much.

Her daughter wandered toward her. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I'm playing hooky." 

"It's not hooky when you're the boss." Emily pointed out.

"It is to me. Since I never do it." She nodded at the little girls practicing in front of the mirror. "You about done for the day? I need some retail therapy."

"Twenty minutes. And you actually want to take me shopping?"

"I actually want to take you shopping." Avery said with a nod.

"Did you get hit on the head this morning?" Emily asked suspiciously. "I don't have a dentist appointment do I?"

Avery had to laugh at that. A long time ago, when Emily was small, they had sweet-talked her into doing hateful tasks like dental visits or vaccines by promising her shopping trips out of town. She didn't mind the small Walmart they had in town but it was much more fun to drive the 45 minutes and go to the closest mall. Avery didn't doubt that her daughter would have been a full on mall rat if they had lived closer to it.

It was way better than hiding out at home. They stopped for lunch and spent the afternoon wandering from store to store. Emily had her own money to spend from her job, and Avery found some things for herself that she wasn't looking for but couldn't say no to. Retail therapy. Most of her anger was gone by the time they got home that evening. They had stopped and picked up a pizza on the way back to the house, and the smell of it had Avery's stomach growling, which made Emily laugh.

Her appetite disappeared when they got to the house. Mark was sitting in the driveway, leaning against the back of his car. He looked worried. When he spotted their car, the worry vanished off his features.

"Oh hey, it's your friend. Is he eating with us again?" Emily asked, breaking Avery out of her thoughts.

"Not tonight." Avery shook her head.

"Aw. Too bad. Yesterday was fun." Emily was balancing the big pizza box in her hand and trying to open her door. "I'll come back out for the rest of the stuff."

Avery shook her head. "Save at least a couple of slices for me." She called after her daughter as she went into the house. Emily's laugh carried back to her as she turned to look at Mark. He had approached although it was very cautious. Just like the first night he'd shown up and she had gotten so angry at him.

He seemed to be bracing for it. Avery just looked at him. Waiting him out again.

Mark glanced at her car. "Shopping trip?" He asked, noticing all the bags.

"Very astute. Now I know why they made promoted you to detective." Avery didn't normally do sarcasm. It didn't jibe well with her personality. But she couldn't seem to help herself.

Mark scoffed at that. "I heard you met my partner this morning."

"Partner? Do you mean the undressed redhead in your single bed motel room? Can't say we actually _met_ since I didn't catch her name." Avery shook her head and backed off when Mark reached out to try to take her hand.

"Partner from work. She just got here this morning. I let her crash in my room since the motel office was closed. Her name's Leah Reynolds." Mark frowned as he spoke, as if annoyed Avery didn't jump to accept his explanation.

"Good for her. And you. She's a real knockout." Avery backed away another step.

"You don't seriously think something is goin' on do you?" The frown was still there, but he sounded amused.

"Nope. Not at all. I'm sure it's perfectly normal to share a bed and a shower with some beautiful woman at least a few times a week."

"We didn't share a shower." Mark said with a snort. "She's been my partner for six years, Avery. Like a sister to me. Besides that, she's not into guys. So it's not weird that she shared my bed. At least not to me. I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea..."

"What idea was I _supposed_ to get, Mark?" Avery was starting to wonder if she were crazy. Of if he was.

"I don't know. Maybe just give me a little credit. I wouldn't screw this up twice." He gestured to her, then himself. "At least I hope I won't. Leah came down here to help me with a kinda side project."

"Good for her. And you." But Avery felt herself wavering. Again. She hated herself for it. Did she actually believe him? The short answers was yes. He hadn't lied to her about anything before, why start now?

"Sheriff won't talk to me about anything. And I wanna prove that asshole killed my mother. Leah can get people to talk. Plus they don't know her. It'll make 'em more inclined to give us some information." Mark finally managed to catch her fingers with his. He pulled her closer, and Avery let herself be pulled.

"A heads-up would have been nice." She said, refusing to completely give in.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know she was gonna show up at 4 in the mornin'." Mark shook his had. "But I want you to meet her. Like I said. She's like a sister. I didn't have much of a family and she's the closest I've ever gotten. At least so far." The way he said the last part, coupled with the look he was giving her, had Avery's knees feeling weak.

She didn't know how she was supposed to stand against something like that. She also didn't like the jealousy she felt toward the other woman. "There's still a lot I don't know about you. I keep finding things to remind me of that." Avery pointed out. "And I feel like we're already attached. Somehow."

Mark was nodding. "I feel it too. We lost a lot of years. Doesn't mean we have to lose anymore. Tell me what you want to know."

Avery raised an eyebrow. "Did my mother pay you off?"

The question seemed to throw him off for a moment. Avery hadn't been aware she was going to ask it until it came out. "Why would your mother pay me off?" Mark sounded genuinely confused. That in itself was the answer she was looking for.

"Rumors. My mom paid you to stay away from me, and you did."

Mark snorted but it was without humor. "Your mom threatened to call the police on me. But she never tried to pay me anything."

"She threatened you?"

"Yeah. The age difference." He shook his head. "I didn't get it at the time. You were way more mature than I was. She could have called the sheriff I guess. I don't think anything woulda come of it. But I think she just felt sorry for me, because of my mom. And that made her listen."

"Hm." Avery made a low sound. It wasn't an acceptance. But she knew he wasn't lying. She was trying to hold on to some of her anger, because otherwise she had a feeling that she'd get way more attached to Mark than she already was. "And the prom?"

"What prom?" Mark was confused again.

"Your senior prom. I heard that I was going to be asked by someone and you shut them down."

Mark started laughing at that one. "I admit it, that one was true. I didn't want that jackass Jon Ashton anywhere near you."

"And yet you didn't want to ask me yourself?"

"Would you have gone with me?" Mark asked, curious.

"I don't know. I didn't know that going was an option. I was technically 2 years behind you guys."

"I ended up not goin'. Didn't seem worth the time." Mark shrugged.

"Mark, what are we doing?" Avery asked, changing the subject again.

"Talkin' about the old stuff."

"I mean us. Now."

"What do you want us to do, Avery?" He asked back. She shook her head.

"I wish I knew." She looked toward the house. "I need to go in. Emily's going to hog all the pizza otherwise and I'm hungry." She squeezed his fingers.

"In other words, you need time to think." Mark said with a smile.

"That too." She looked at him, expression serious. "Emily is going to her Dad's tomorrow for a few days. You can come over if you want. If you're not too busy."

Mark's smile widened. "I do want. More than anything else."

"Ok. See you tomorrow." Avery started to pull away but Mark held on. He dipped his head and kissed her. It was slow, and tender, and toe-curling but Avery wasn't going to be swayed. She'd think about it, and dream about it probably, but she wasn't going to change her mind about waiting until the next day.

She watched him get into his car before heading toward the house. Emily was at the table, munching on a slice of pizza, knowing smile on her face.

"What?" Avery asked, picking up a slice for herself. It had cooled but it was still delicious.

"Nothing. But...I saw that." Emily winked at her. Avery laughed around the bite of pizza she was trying to take. "And I approve. Just so you know."

"Great." She chewed enthusiastically. Appetite returned. "I've lived my entire life, waiting for my child to approve of the things I do in life."

Emily snickered at that. "You know that you do. Your life _revolves_ around me."

Avery let her daughter joke her out of the serious mood she had been in. It was easy. Emily just had that way about her. Plus, she approved of Mark. It seemed to settle something inside her, knowing that. It was silly but true.


	17. Chapter 17

17.

Mark showed up with his arms full. He'd brought food – Chinese takeout. He also had a stack of paper files. At Avery's expression, he smiled.

"You said you wanted a heads up." He said as he set the files aside on the kitchen counter. "But we should eat before we get into any of that. Some of it isn't really dinner conversation material."

"Fair enough." Avery set out plates and silverware, and poured them each a glass of iced tea. And noted that he kept everything during dinner to neutral topics. Mostly about how the town had changed since he'd been there last.

But she also sensed that he was subtly digging. Avery didn't know why he felt like he couldn't flat out ask. She would have answered. It was amusing really. By the time they were done eating, she was pretty sure they had touched on all the major players in town. Not that there were so many. Besides the sheriff, his deputies, the mayor and possibly the laughably named city council, there weren't many who had any sort of power.

When they were done eating, Mark picked up his files. At her look, he smiled grimly. "I don't think any of this is too horrible. But it makes you wonder." He took a seat and opened one of the folders showing her the contents. A small picture of Rob Williams was in one corner. But a much younger Rob. Mark flipped a few pages. "This is just run of the mill DUI stuff. Four of them in six months. Shoulda lost his license for that. But guess who the arresting officer was for most of them."

"Walls." It wasn't a question. Avery couldn't recall a time when Sheriff Walls actually went out on patrol. She thought his position was more as a figurehead. He left the actual work to the deputies.

"You got it. They go way, way back." Mark flipped a couple more pages. "Ninth grade JV football, to be exact. Point being – they're buddies. Served in the Army together. And then Rob got married for the first time."

Avery took the from Mark and turned the pages herself. The woman in the next picture was pretty in a distant way. And she looked vaguely familiar. "I feel like I know her."

"I doubt it. She died when we were kids. I was about 3. You were probably a newborn." Mark smirked when he said it. "Her name was Meredith. But you probably know her sister, Danielle. Runs that dance school you used to go to."

Avery nodded. And now she could see the resemblance. "So how did she die? She would have been young, right?"

"Early thirties." Mark said with a nod. "She drowned at the lake. They were night swimming." He said it with a snap to the words. "So it was kind of convenient, what with Meredith being a strong swimmer. He said that they got separated and she got tangled up in some netting or something out toward one of the coves. True enough they found netting with her body, but it looked old, rotten. It fell apart when they touched it. Death was still deemed accidental. Rob collected a decent chunk of insurance, and fought with Danielle over Meredith's half of the dance school. She ended up buying him out." Mark paused to take a sip of his tea. "Probably good she did because I would imagine he had an accident lined up for her too."

Avery could only shake her head. Mark was opening another one of the files and she had hardly scratched the surface of the first one. "Wife number two. Nice woman, Sharon Peters. A little older than him. Died during a house fire caused by a faulty electric line. He just happened to be on a weekend camping trip." He sighed and went forward a few pages. "Wife three, Trisha Stephens, died after getting _accidentally_ electrocuted. Her three year old daughter...same way. They thought she was holding the baby when it happened, using an ungrounded toaster oven."

Mark let that sink in. He also let Avery study the picture of mom and daughter. Studio protrait, taken when the baby was 2. Before she had met Rob. Avery felt herself tearing up.

"And the next one. My mom." Mark had another file open. "Fortunately for me, I was older. Stronger. I fought back." Avery studied him, tears in her eyes but not falling.

"I remember the bruises."

"Yeah." Mark shook his head. "If I had been just a little stronger..."

"Don't do that." Avery put her hand on his arm.

"I try not to. But it's hard." He shook his head. "We threw down. A lot. And I kept Mom away from him as much as I could. Because he was nice enough at first but that changed after about six months. And then I started worryin' more. And the fightin' started. And then she died. You know about that. And then the last one. Christine Curtis. Another healthy one downed by a stroke. Maybe."

"Mark...if you're right about this. And I don't think your wrong...but Rob is more than sick. This is serial killer territory."

Mark met her eyes steadily. "And that's why he needs to be stopped."

She processed that for a moment. "He got shot. Was that..."

"I told you. If I had shot him, he wouldn't have survived it. Besides, just shooting him wouldn't make him suffer enough for my tastes." His green eyes had taken on a hard cast. "I dug all of this up from Houston. And this is just police reports. No hint of any kind of foul play. Police reports are never this cut and dried. Never this _neat_." He spit the word out. "The red flags should have gone up after the second wife. But nobody said a word. How is it that this town, where everybody is in everybody else's business, kept their mouths shut about this?"

"Maybe they were scared?" Avery ventured. She eyed Mark cautiously. "Walls threatened my job when he came here the other day. Because you were here." She saw the muscle in Mark's jaw tick as he processed what she'd said. "It's weird but I kind of got the feeling he was a little intimidated by you."

"He should be. He knows what I do now. I think he's worried that I'm not just here to play catch up with high school friends I lost touch with." Mark shook his head. "I didn't want to say anything. But he got in some digs about you. He was tryin' to figure out what we are to each other. I'm not tryin' to drag you down into whatever is goin' on here. I'll back off from you. Keep you out of it. Protect you."

Avery made a face. But she couldn't help but feel moved. He'd protect her. That was comforting in a way she couldn't define. "I don't want to lose you again." She stated simply.

Mark met her eyes, weighing her words. "You won't."

"I'm in this. If I can help, I will. I don't know _how_ I can help. But if you need anything..." Avery remember the raw emotion from that night 20 years ago when Mark had told her about his mom, and his beliefs.

"Thanks. For that and for believin' me back then. You don't know how much it meant to me." Mark pulled all his files together and straightened them. "But I feel like I'm painting a target on your back. Because that piece of shit that killed my mother wasn't workin' alone. I think Walls had a hand in some of this." He gestured at the folders. "This and maybe more not related to Williams. I've found other stuff that's happened here. Stuff that flew under the radar. Dead bodies mostly. If you put them on a map, they'd form a circle around the town. Williams is a repeater, maybe a serial, but he's motivated by money. I don't doubt the plan was to kill me the same time as he killed my mom. I just happened to be gone when he made his move. Then he would have gotten mom's insurance money. Instead I got it. It's what I lived on. But there's more going on here than just his bullshit. At first I just wanted to stop that son of a bitch. Now I wanna shut it all down." He heaved a sigh. "I think I've talked more tonight than I have in years."

"Man of few words." Avery said with a smile. She stroked his arm thoughtfully. "And I'm not worried about a target on me. What if Walls goes after you? He's already trying to make people think you shot Rob. You're from here but it's been a long time. You're pretty much an outsider. I don't think it would bother him a bit to take you out of the picture."

"Yeah, but I'm a cop. Not some transient runaway. If I disappear, then there would be heat. A lot of it. And I don't think he'd be able to take it."

"So all of this is the real reason you came back." Avery said it softly.

Mark cocked an eyebrow. "No." He flicked the corners of the files with the end of his thumb. "I never stopped thinkin' about you. Never stopped wonderin' how you were. When I got that invitation to the reunion...this..." He gestured at the files. "This was going to be my cover. For comin' to check on you."

Avery laughed at that. "Convenient."

"Very." He agreed. He also reached over and cupped her face in his hand, letting his thumb stroke her cheek. Avery smiled up at him.

"You know. Since you're already here, and your care is super conspicuously parked in the driveway, and the neighbors are already spreading the word, we might as well make the most of the rest of the night." She said, smile widening at his lifted eyebrow.


	18. Chapter 18

18.

They ended up in Avery's bedroom.

All of the urgency from their previous encounter was gone. Maybe because they both realized that this would not be the last and only time, or maybe because they finally understood their relationship a little bit better.

Avery wasn't going to question it. No urgency but the butterflies were still there. Everywhere Mark touched seemed to tingle. He kissed her, taking advantage of her parted lips to taste her with his tongue, moaning at her easy acceptance.

He made slow work of undressing her, stoking every inch of skin he exposed, drawing it out. Mark pushed her hands away when she tried to repay the favor. It wasn't until she was fully nude, laid back on the bed as he raked her with his eyes, that she realized he was trying to hold himself in control. She wouldn't have minded the urgency but the man was practically worshiping her as he bent low and dropped hot kisses along her inner thigh. His fingers parted her and his tongue invaded her folds, his mouth leaving her gasping for air at the sensations that spread through her.

"Mark..." Avery moaned out his name, reaching down to tangle her fingers into his hair. She moved her hips in time to the flick of his tongue, taking in short panting breaths as he teased her right to the edge. And then he stopped and pulled back, sucking at the skin of her inner thigh, making her groan in frustration. "That's...a dirty...trick..." She managed to say as she tried to catch her breath. Mark chuckled against her leg, letting his hands slide up and down the smooth skin of her thighs, her belly, her hips.

"Give me time. I'll get you there." His deep voice was husky. Filled with need. Avery felt like she'd melt if he'd just keep talking to her in that sexy, low tone of his. She soothed her fingers through his hair, waiting to see what he had planned. It didn't take long. As soon as she caught her breath his fingers were on her again, spreading her, giving his tongue easy access to her most sensitive area.

Once again, he pulled back right when Avery was nearing the point of no return. Now her frustration was more real. The teasing was too much. She wanted him so much it was a deep ache.

He kept himself maddeningly out of reach. But he stroked her body with his hands, and kissed his way up her body, stopping to cup her breasts, sucking lightly at her nipples. Avery managed to grab the shoulders of his t-shirt and yanked at it in frustration. "I know...you want to prolong this...but if you don't get naked soon I am going to lose my mind." She paused every time he found a new place to suck on as his continued exploring her skin.

"Bossy." He pulled back and let her tug the shirt up over his head. She tossed it to the side, her eyes taking in the smooth skin, the muscular core. She still needed more.

He pulled back and Avery watched through passion clouded eyes as he unzipped his jeans and worked them down his hips. He managed to get them off without getting off the bed. Any other time she might have found it funny. This time, the sight of him was enough to dry up all the spit in her mouth and make laughing impossible. She had seen him naked of course but she didn't think the excitement for him was ever going to wear off. The thing she had previously mistaken for fear was nothing more than an unrelenting need that seemed to take over her mind.

She saw the matching need in his eyes when he finally raised them to meet hers. And realized he was doing everything he could to hold himself in check. She wouldn't complain if he just took her now. But she knew he wanted to slow it down and savor their time together. So instead of pulling him down and insisting he do something to put out the fire he'd started, Avery sat up and reached out, letting one hand trail down his chest, his stomach. She felt the muscles flutter under her fingertips as she went lower on his belly. Her fingers brushed his hard cock, and she smiled at the way it seemed to swell into her palm. She stroked him lightly, once, twice, not applying any pressure, just feeling the soft hot skin overlying the hard cylinder. She heard him moan softly when she finally let her fingers close, only providing a slight bit of friction as she moved slowly up and down the shaft.

Avery let her free hand slide up and down his thigh, feeling the taut muscles under his skin. She leaned forward, and flicked her tongue out, lightly touching the head of his cock. Mark's hips jerked involuntarily toward her and he groaned. She figured two could play the game he had started. She parted her lips and took him into her mouth, letting her tongue swirl over the sensitive skin. She tightened her fingers against him, feeling him thrust lightly against her, unable to control the movement of his hips. She listened to the sounds he made low in his throat and pulled away, letting go of him completely as soon as the pitch in his moans changed.

He had to laugh at that. It was low and throaty and sexier than any sound Avery had ever heard. So it didn't surprise her when he didn't give her a chance to resume her efforts. He pushed her down on her back and moved between her thighs, probing at her, the need overtaking everything else.

Almost. He entered her in one smooth thrust, making her cry out and rake her nails against his shoulders. And then he stopped, not moving, puffing harsh breaths against her neck. Avery tried to move her hips, but he had her pinned down pretty effectively. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his waist and tangled her fingers into his hair, pulling his head until she could kiss him senseless.

And Mark finally started moving. Slowly. Inch by inch. He pulled out until only the head remained, then slid home, kissing her the entire time, making her moan into his mouth with every sweep of his tongue against hers. When he was fully sheathed he rotated his hips slightly, grinding against her before pulling back and starting all over again.

It seemed to go on for hours. But it was over way too quickly. Avery felt her climax building and pulled him closer, hugging him tight as the sensations overcame her and she cried out against his shoulder. And then she held on through the aftershocks as he thrust into her to his own shuddering end, whispering her name hoarsely into her ear, sending hot shivers down her back at the sound. They lay there, holding each other, neither wanting to move or lose their intimate contact. Avery felt herself on the verge of speaking and stopped herself.

She knew how she felt about him. Still. After all the years that were between them. She'd given him her heart twenty years before. And he still had it. He'd always had it. It hadn't been just some lighthearted teenage crush. She had loved him but hadn't known how to articulate it.

Now that she could articulate, she was terrified it might scare him away. To know that she still had those feelings, and that they were still as strong as they were before life had changed so much. He'd said that he had never had a normal relationship. He also had not mentioned being in the market for one. So Avery was afraid she was setting herself up for another heartbreak. Only this time she was way more attached.


	19. Chapter 19

19.

Avery was awakened by the sound of sirens again. She groaned and turned, blinking at the red numbers of her alarm clock. It was a few minutes past three in the morning. Instead of an ambulance, this time it was the distinctive wail of the firetruck sirens as they went past the house.

She sat up and yawned sleepily. She'd tried to go to bed early that night since Mark had kept her up the night before. He wasn't with her. He said that he had some things to take care of. Avery tried not to be too disappointed. She knew he was still digging into Rob's past, and into the sheriff. It worried her. Not the thing with Williams so much. Sheriff Walls was different. Avery had not had any reason to cross paths with him until Mark came back into town. And she preferred it that way.

She went to the window and looked outside into the darkest hour of the night. The sirens had faded and died. Apparently only a few blocks away because in the distance she could see the glow of red flashing lights. And her eyes adjusted enough to make out the dark column of smoke that rose into the air.

Something bigger must have caught fire at that point. Orange light flared brightly and the smoke turned black for a few moments, flames shooting upward. It was in the direction of town. Mark's motel.

Avery caught herself on the verge of panicking. No. The motel wasn't on this side of her view line. If she went into Emily's room and the view from the front and side...

The fire was in one of the neighborhoods near town. Her tired brain was still trying to puzzle it out when her phone rang, scaring her into a yelp. Her nerves were on edge from the rude awakening.

"Yeah?" She grabbed it and answered, still looking out the window.

"Sirens wake you up?" Mark's voice filled her ear.

"Of course. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He sounded surprised she'd asked. "It's the asshole's house."

"Oh yeah?" Avery looked at the smoke again. It was in the right direction.

"I'm lookin' at it. The whole house is up in flames."

Avery could hear the noise in the background wherever Mark was. Engines, voices. "That's pretty convenient." She finally said.

"You're tellin' me. We were talkin' about goin' over there and searchin' the place. Only we didn't know what the hell we'd be lookin' for. Apparently there might have been somethin' to find, because somebody went to a lot of trouble to burn it down."

"Could it be the sheriff?" Avery asked, sounding unsure. While she couldn't investigate the way Mark had, she could still think about things. And that thought had occurred to her earlier. "If he already was bailing Williams out, and he knew about the murders staged to look like accidents and natural deaths, then maybe there was something in the house that tied him to everything and _he_ couldn't find it. So he torched the place."

Mark was quiet for so long Avery almost wondered if he'd dozed off. "That actually makes sense."

"Maybe Walls shot him too." Avery ventured.

"But why?" Mark couldn't see the angle.

"Not to kill him. Maybe it was a warning. It's kind of funny how it happened after you showed up and then Walls wanted to question you. Maybe he thought he could kill two birds with one stone. Keeps Rob's mouth shut, and get you out of his hair as the prime suspect. But he can't _kill_ Rob. Maybe Rob knows too much stuff about Walls, maybe he's got some kind of evidence hidden somewhere. Or maybe Rob even agreed to be shot in a non-lethal place because it's the kind of sick thing that would amuse them."

"Where the hell are you gettin' all this from?" Mark sounded impressed. Avery smirked.

"CSI. And maybe Law and Order."

Mark chuckled at that. "Good theories though. I want to get my hands on the police report from the night that bastard got shot. Just to see what kind of cover story they went with. Other than him getting shot, it's like a lid was put on it." The noise on his end reduced. He was moving away from the majority of the excitement. "But I'm not gonna be able to get it tonight. I know it's late but how about some company? Suddenly the idea of sleepin' alone in a lumpy motel bed has lost all of it's appeal."

Avery smiled at that. And felt a little bit of relief. Because she would never admit it but she had been feeling a very low level of unease ever since it had gotten dark. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep, and every small noise had pulled her awake. The sirens had interrupted just as she'd fallen into a deeper sleep. "Get over here. I'll meet you downstairs."

It only took him a few minutes. Avery held the door open and smiled at Mark as he walked up the porch steps. "That's weird." He said, his voice low. Avery raised an eyebrow as he went into the house and she closed the door.

"What's weird?"

"There's a deputy parked across the road." Mark waited until she had locked up before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "You look tired."

"I couldn't sleep." Avery rested her head on his chest. "Why would there be a deputy parked outside?"

"I could go find out."

"Don't." Avery cut him off before he could full get it out. "Maybe that's what they want."

Mark snorted at that. "Let's get you to bed. We'll worry about that in the mornin'."

It was actually closer to the afternoon. Mark snuggled up to her and Avery was asleep within minutes. And slept deeply. When she woke up finally, just past noon, Mark was no longer in the bed but she could hear him down in the kitchen, and she could hear cabinet doors opening and closing. Then his voice, answered by a feminine one.

Avery frowned at that. It couldn't be Emily, she and her dad were going on a road trip to visit his family and she wouldn't be home until Sunday. She sat up and blearily looked around the bright room. It looked like she'd be playing hooky from school again. She eyed the door, which was open. And decided that whoever was there, Mark had obviously let them in. Which meant it was probably his partner, Leah.

She sat up and stretched, trying to work out the kinks. She'd take a shower, get dressed, and then maybe she'd be ready to meet Mark's friend. She had barely stepped into the water when Mark spoke from behind her, making her jump.

"You're up."

Avery shot him a sour look. "Finally."

"I'm making breakfast. If you're hungry." He was eyeing her bare body, unmistakable look of hunger in his own eyes.

"I need to wake all the w1ay up first." Avery put her hand on his chest when he stepped toward her. "Don't you have company downstairs?"

"Oh. Yeah." He smirked, shaking his head. "I hope you don't mind..."

"What are you guys doing?" Avery waved him off and stepped into the shower. She kept the curtain open so she could hear him over the water.

"Going over stuff. Leah's been tryin' to find the fire marshall to see hat happened at the asshole's house last night. He's MIA though. Gonna be one of those things that gets _forgotten_ in a few weeks."

"Hmm." Avery got her hair wet and started washing it, frowning thoughtfully. She glanced at Mark and saw he was now leaning against the sink, watching her shower. "Enjoying the show?" She asked, making him grin.

"Yes." Mark raised an eyebrow as she rinsed soap from her hair and used her hands to spread the bubbles over her skin. "Now you're just bein' mean."

"If you know of another way to take a shower, I'd like to hear it." Avery said, turning her back on him.

"The view is still pretty good from this angle too."

Avery finally snorted a laugh. "Get out of here. Please."

"Fine, fine. I'll be in the kitchen."

Avery heard his footsteps fade. As tempting as it was to get distracted by him, she figured one of them needed to stay focused. Especially since he'd invited company over. Once she was showered and dressed, she headed downstairs where she could smell coffee and bacon.

Leah still looked as gorgeous in jeans and a t-shirt as she had wearing just a towel. She grinned brightly at Avery and took in her still wet hair. "Mornin'. Or afternoon."

"Hi. Again." Avery nodded at her.

"I don't know what magic you've worked on Mark, but he's _cooking_. Mark doesn't _cook_." Leah said , the grin flashing again.

"Is it edible?" Avery asked, moving to the stove to peer around Mark's arm at the food. Bacon, eggs, toast. Coffee.

"Smartasses." Mark muttered it under his breath. But he sounded amused. "And just because I don't cook a lot doesn't mean I can't."

The sniping back and forth set the tone for the meal. They really did act like brother and sister. At least, they acted the way that Avery and Joe often acted around each other. It set her mind at ease more than anything Mark had said. Leah was nice and outgoing. Which paired up with Mark's usual standoffish nature, they probably made quite a team.

"So you took a vacation to come help Mark?" Avery asked, once they were eating.

Leah shrugged. "I didn't have any better plans."

"I doubt that." Mark grumbled.

"To be honest, he talked about you so goddamned much I figured I should take the opportunity to check out this woman that left such an impression it was still with him two decades later." Leah poked a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth, smirking at Mark's thunderous expression. To her credit, Avery only lifted an eyebrow. But it was nice to know that Mark talked about her.

Mark cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. "Don't you have better things to talk about? Any luck with the deputies?"

Leah smirked in Avery's direction. "It's so easy to fluster him. And no. Nobody's talking. I don't think it's because they don't want to talk. People honestly seem not to know shit while all the same time knowing everybody's business." She shook her head. "It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen."

"Because you're a city girl." Avery said.

Leah looked at her again. "How could you tell?"

"You don't know how small towns like this work. Gossip wins out on news a lot. It's more important to know who is sleeping with who instead of who's responsible for something that most people can't wrap their minds around."

"You sure she's not a cop?" Leah aimed that at Mark.

"Worse. School principal." Mark smiled at her.

"Elementary." Avery pointed out. "I'm just stating a fact. I always thought this was a safe place, with small town problems like the town drunk beating on his wife every Friday night, or somebody knocking up one of the high school girls out at the lake..." She trailed off at that when it struck her how close that could have been her. She almost laughed. "The first hint I got that anything was off was when Mark convinced me a long time ago that Rob Williams had killed his mother. And it didn't take much convincing."

"Maybe some part of you knew." Leah observed.

"Maybe." Avery shrugged. "So what are you going to do next?"

"Run down the fire marshall. That's number one." Leah finished off her food. "Although I doubt he's going to be much help. I think he's as paid off or willfully ignorant as everybody else I've talked to since I got here."

"I'm going to push the sheriff a little."

Avery looked at Mark as if a bug had crawled out of his mouth. "Why would you do that?"

"Because it's obvious that his plan is contingent on me acting a certain way."

Avery thought that over. "You're talking about that deputy last night."

"Maybe."

"What...he was watching the house, making sure you didn't have an alibi for the fire before he started it?"

"Wow. See...he said you were smart. But not smart-smart." Leah said. Apparently Avery's jump to the answer happened a lot faster than theirs had. Avery couldn't explain it. She just felt as if she and Mark were on the same wavelength.

Avery ignored that. "If you push him hard enough, he's not going to like it." She remembered him casually threatening her job. And maybe he had killed people. Mark only had his suspicions but so far they had been reliable.

"I can handle him." Mark said, reaching over and covering her hand with his. Avery frowned at his tone.

"You can. If you take him seriously."

"Believe me. I am." But there was something in the tone of his voice that made Avery think otherwise.

"I like your confidence but it's not going to do you any good if you go in thinking he's just some old guy with a penchant for killing teenage girls. Do you honestly think he'd still be walking around as sheriff if he hadn't cleaned up bigger messes along the way?"

Mark squeezed her hand. "Sorry. I promise, I'm not takin' him lightly. I just wanna rattle his cage, that's all."

"Great." Avery pushed her plate away. The food was good but she'd lost the desire to eat.


	20. Chapter 20

20.

Mark stayed the night with her again. Avery knew she shouldn't get used to it; after just a couple of nights it was already starting to feel like he belonged there.

This time she went to sleep at a reasonable hour and went in to work, even though Mark had tried to talk her out of it. Temptation again, but putting it off wouldn't get it done.

She was fine until she got to the school. And noted a deputy's car parked in the lot. Avery ignored it. But she kept it in the back of her mind as she got to work on her files. When she broke for lunch the car was still parked there. Annoyed, she made a beeline for the driver's side window.

At least it was a deputy she knew. Ben Marsh. His son was entering third grade the next school year. He spotted her coming and had the presence of mind to look uncomfortable at her approach.

"Ms. Landry." He nodded at her.

"Mr. Marsh. Why are you taking up real estate in my parking lot?" She figured she might surprise him by being blunt.

"Um..."

Avery leaned down, peering into the car, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Please don't bullshit me, Ben. I've had enough for that the past few days to last me a lifetime."

He averted his eyes. "Well. The sheriff assigned us to keep an eye on you. Because of Calaway."

"That makes perfect sense." Avery said sarcastically. She didn't know where it was coming from lately.

"He's a suspect in Rob Williams's shooting. And maybe the fire?" That part sounded like a question. "That's the gist though. Sheriff is worried that somethin' is gonna happen to you."

"How touching. This is the same sheriff that threatened to have me fired if I didn't play ball, so to speak."

Ben looked at her again and something in him seemed to give. "I don't get it either. I mean, it's my job and I gotta do what I'm told, but ever since Calaway came to town the sheriff has had a hard-on for him."

Avery tilted her head. "Unlock the door. I'm getting in." She went around to the passenger seat and climbed into the car, moving a stack of papers to the floor to do it. Ben merely watched her, waiting. "Tell me exactly what the sheriff said." He hesitated. Avery could see him wavering. "There is something seriously wrong in this town, Ben. And for some reason, Walls is in the middle of it. And trying to drag me down with him, apparently. I'd like to know what the hell I'm getting into."

"It wasn't what he said, exactly." Ben finally gave in. "Although that was weird too. Look...I've had some problems. With pain meds. And he said if I did this, he'd not put it in my record or hold it against me if I got clean. That kinda thing could get me fired."

"If you did what? Followed me?"

"Pretty much. 'Keep her under surveillance, call in when Calaway shows up', that kind of thing. Weird but this is cake. It's not like you run from one end of the county to another." He seemed to realize what he was saying. "Sorry, Ms. Landry. I don't mean it to sound..."

Avery waved that off. She didn't care if he thought she was boring. "What's the point though?"

"Sheriff said it was to protect you because he thought maybe Calaway was gonna make you some kind of target. Unfinished business. I told you. It wasn't what he said exactly, because he didn't say much, and none of it made any sense."

"Were you there when they questioned Mark after Williams got shot?"

"Not in the room." Ben smiled uncertainly. "But I don't think it went the way Walls thought it would go. I think Calaway ended up running the questioning. And I think the sheriff took offense to it."

"So what set him off?"

Ben shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. I just know that as soon as Calaway got into town, Sheriff seemed to fixate on him." He met her eyes. "Look. I can't lose this job. Beth isn't workin' right now. I have to be where the Sheriff sends me and report back to him."

"Tha'ts ok, Ben. You do that." Avery said with a sigh. She wasn't going to do anything that would require much in the way of reporting anyway. "I just wanted to know if I had to worry that you were going to break into my house or do something stupid."

"God, no." Ben looked horrified at the thought. "I was just supposed to keep an eye on things. In case Calaway got out of hand. But...I've seen you two together. I think that's bullshit. But I can't wok my mind around the real reason."

"And you shouldn't have to. Look, I won't tell about this little talk if you don't, all right?" Avery got out of the car and shut the door.

"Ms. Landry?" Ben called out before she could walk away. She turned back to look at him.

"Since your following me, you can drop the 'Ms. Landry' thing. It's just Avery."

"You be mindful the Sheriff. I don't know what he's thinking but he gets into moods every now and then. And I think this might be one of them." Ben cautioned her.

Avery nodded. Whether he'd meant to or not, Mark had managed to turn the Sheriff's eye toward her. Comforting.

Instead of going to her car for a quick drive to lunch, she went back inside the school. Straight to her phone. She called Jack's cellphone and tapped her fingers impatiently waiting on him to pick up.

"Hey, Avery. What's up? You wanna talk to Em?"

"Yes. But first I want to talk to you. Can you keep her longer?"

Jack thought that over. "Of course. But why?"

"There's something going on here. I can't explain it but I'd feel better if she stayed with you for a couple of weeks." They ahd planned on Emily staying at her Dad's for a few weeks in July. Avery figured she was just pushing up the schedule.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"I don't know _what_ I'm in. It's like the air down here is rotten." She gave him the short version of events, the shooting, the bodies found outside of town but near enough to be troublesome. "There are people here trying to figure it out. I would just feel better if Emily wasn't involved at all."

"I understand. And sure. She's welcome. Matter of fact, you're more than welcome to come stay with us too."

Avery smiled at that. It was so Jack-like, offering up his home. It was one of the reasons she had fallen for him. He was steady. Reliable.

"I'll be all right. But thank you. Now let me talk to my kid." Avery spent fifteen minutes chatting with Emily, letting her daughter erase the tension that she felt. Emily was surprised to be spending more time at her dad's and worried about her job at Danielle's but Avery assured her she would take care of it.

Having Emily safely away took a huge weight off of Avery's shoulders. She went back to work, determined that she would finish everything up that day. Most of the teachers were done, the custodial staff usually cleaned early in the day, and the empty school felt vaguely threatening now even if she knew it was just her nerves.


	21. Chapter 21

21.

Mark wasn't too happy when Avery told him she'd confronted the deputy.

"I'm more than capable of having a conversation with a person I've seen just about every day for the past 3 years." Avery said before he could build up too much a head of steam about it.

"This isn't just a conversation, Avery. And I told you, I wanted to keep you out of it as much as I could." They were standing in her kitchen. She was trying to figure out what to do about supper when it had come up.

"But I thought you wanted to rattle cages." Avery said, looking up at him with mock innocence.

"I said _I_ would. I would deal with Walls. Not you." His voice had taken on an angry edge.

"I didn't deal with Walls. I talked to Ben. You aren't the one he's got somebody following." Avery pointed out. "And I'm in this whether you meant me to be or not. So deal with it."

He heaved a frustrated sigh and scrubbed a hand down his face. Avery got the feeling she was testing his patience. Good. He needed it. "Fuck's sake, Avery. I told you I wan't jokin' around. I know what I'm doin'."

"And I'm just supposed to trust you, and stay in the dark and go about my daily life like I don't have cops tracking my movements. Gee. I must have been really stupid, daring to ask what a deputy was doing in the parking lot of an empty school. That kinda thing probably happens all the time everywhere else."

"I never said... " 

"Oh, cork it already. For some reason Walls has already figured out he can get to you by getting to me, and you, being the super genius _detective_ that you are, have fallen right into it." Avery clapped sarcastically. "Congratulations."

"Avery..." There was a warning note in his voice.

"Don't you 'Avery' me. This is my life. My house, my job, my daughter. I know you think you're handling things, but I'm not some disposable pawn in your game of chess with Andy Griffith. I swear. Walls is using me to get to you, but it seems like you're using me to get to him and I want it to stop. Right. Now." She emphasized each word by poking his chest. "You want to shut him down, good. Great! But at least stop and fucking think before you go off to slay your dragon." First the sarcasm, now the f-bomb. Avery felt like she was on a roll.

Mark was stunned into silence for several long moments. "Hellfire, Avery. I don't think I've ever seen you get pissed off before." He sounded as if he were in awe.

"Overbearing alpha males bring out the worst in me." Avery said.

"Is that what I am? Overbearin'?"

"Extremely. But spoiled rotton would probably be a better way to describe you. Do you ever _not_ get your way?"

"This isn't about gettin' my way." But from the way that muscle in his jaw ticked, Avery knew she'd hit a nerve. Or pointed out a flaw. "We're tryin' to stop a monster before he does somethin' else."

"Or you're pushing him right into doing it more. I'm not the one that's been around criminals but what happens when you make somebody desparate? When they know that a spotlight is starting to turn in their direction? Are they going to fold and come along quietly? Do they ever? Do you realize you're pushing Walls into doing shit he never considered before? It might have started when you got back to town, some kind of weird panic...thing...but I'm starting to feel like it's getting personal between you two and nothing has even happened yet. And he isn't even the one you came back for. That was Rob Williams."

"No." Mark shook his head emphatically. "I came back here for you. The rest of it...just fell into my lap. And I'm not gonna let them keep gettin' away with it. I said before that I never meant to make you feel like I used you, and I mean it now. I'm not using you. I love you. I'm scared to death I'm gonna lose you again. And not just because I'm a mixed up, dumbass kid who didn't know what his options were. Because I shoulda stayed and fought for you then. I shoulda stopped it then. That night when those mother fuckers shared a beer over my mom's body like they were celebrating. I knew it. I _knew_ it. But a part of me didn't want to really believe it. I can't make it right. I can't bring back any of the women or kids that they've murdered, but I can stop it from happenin' again. And I'm damn sure _gonna_ stop it. You just have to trust me."

"I do trust you. But I trust myself too. You remember the town from 20 years ago. I know these people _now_. I've seen them every single day. I know which ones you can talk to and which ones to avoid. And I talk to them all the time. Including Ben. If you weren't here, do you think it would be any different? I'd still be talking to them. I just wouldn't know what I know."

Mark braced a hand on the counter beside her and towered over her. "Avery..."

"And you can stop trying to intimidate me. It' s not going to work." She had to lean back to meet his eyes.

"I'm not tryin' to intimidate you." His voice had dropped low. Avery's eyebrows lowered in confusion. All of his anger seemed to have drained away as quick as it had come on. "You didn't hear me say it or you chose to ignore it. Which one is it?"

Avery cocked her head to the side. "Ignoring it. You don't say that in the middle of an argument."

"I"ve never said it at all, so I wouldn't know. Who makes up the rules?"

"Stop trying to distract me." Avery put her hand on his chest and pushed gently, trying to get some space. She was still mad, damn it, even if he wasn't. Mark didn't back off. He crowded her even more, until she was backed into the counter and he blocked her in with hands on ether side of her on the countertop.

"I don't remember you bein' so hardheaded." He said, keeping that low tone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was usin' you, Avery. I wouldn't do that. Maybe I have tunnel vision. I get my sights set and I only see one thing. We can fight this thing out til we're blue in the face if you want. But I give. I won't leave you out of anything anymore, and I'll ask you for help. I won't try to stop you from helpin'. Is that good enough?"

"It's a little too easy." Avery said. "Apology acepted. I'm not some fragile little flower, Mark. I don't need to be kept in a glass case. I'm not going to break." She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, surprising him. "I'm so damned scared of losing you again."

Mark nodded and ducked down until his forehead was against hers. "You won't."

"How can you be sure?" Avery let her thumbs move over his cheeks, feeling soft skin and rough whiskers.

"Because I won't let you lose me again. I might be spoiled rotten, and used to getting my way but I'm also overbearin' and impossible to get rid of once I set my mind on something."

Avery huffed at that, amused in spite of the lingering anger she felt. "You have got to learn to trust me. You keep telling me to trust you, but it has to go both ways."

"I know." Mark's hand moved from the counter to rest on her hips. He ducked his head lower and kissed her near her ear, down her jaw-line, onto her neck.

"What are you doing?" Avery asked, smiling a little.

"We fought. Now we make up. Thought it was obvious." His voice was a low rumble in her ear.

"Are we done fighting?"

"Probably not." Mark admitted with a chuckle. His hand were sliding up her sides, under the cotton of her t-shirt. Before he could get too distracted, there was a knock at the front door. He groaned in frustration.

"That's probably your friend." Avery pointed out.

"Her timin' is horrible." He regretfully let Avery go and went to answer the door. She shook her head and went back to taking inventory of her fridge. When she turned around Mark was standing in the kitchen doorway, unreadable expression on is face. "It's for you." He nodded toward the living room.

Avery moved past him and saw Ben Marsh standing awkwardly by her front door. "Ben?"

"Avery." He nodded at her and then looked from her to Mark, and back again. "Sheriff asked me to bring you in. For quesitoning."

She ignored the sound Mark made behind her. "Questioning for what?"

"I can't say. He didn't tell me." Ben shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like it. It's not protocol. Not even for him. We all know you. We coulda just called and had you come into the station in the morning. He waited until dayshift ended." He gave her a meaningful look. "The night shift guys...those are the Sheriff's guys. His favorites."

"Oh. I get it." Avery said with a nod. "Get me alone after hours, push me to see what I know about what you're doing..." She said that to Mark.

"You're not goin'." It was a flat statement.

"Sure I am." Avery ignored the dark look he gave her. "You're going with me though."

"Damn right." For a miracle, he wasn't going to argue.

"I'm staying too. I don't like this."

"Ben, you don't know what you're stepping in." Avery tried to warn him off. "You have to watch out for your kids. Don't get involved."

"I think it's too late for that. I've heard some stuff. About the sheriff's...hobbies." He looked away from her. "I'm not one of his boys, I don't know everything. I can only guess at some of it. And like I told you earlier, I already have marks against me. There wasn't anything I could do."

Avery glanced at Mark, who was frowning in confusion. "Walls threatened to fire him unless he shadowed me. Just like he threatened me if I kept seeing you."

"Since he didn't say I had to arrest you, you can just follow me back to the station. If you mean to go. I would say don't go but then he'd just send somebody else to get you and...like I said those are his guys." Ben glanced from her to Mark. "I'll wait outside." With that he turned and left.

"Arrest me." Avery muttered. "For what? Missing work?"

"More a scare tactic. He can't arrest you." Mark followed her outside and watched her lock the door.

"Well. I'm sure he _could_. But he won't." Avery shook her head. "You wanted to poke the hornet's nest. Guess this is going to be your chance."

Mark could only nod as he got into the passenger seat of her car. Walls wasn't going to like seeing him show up on Avery's heels. The thought of the look on the other man's face when he saw Avery was not alone made him smile grimly.


	22. Chapter 22

22.

To say Sheriff Walls was unhappy was a vast understatement.

He tried to hide it. To his credit, Avery thought he kept a pretty decent poker face, but his eyes gave it away. Plus he was twitchy. He couldn't seem to sit still.

They had tried to separate her from Mark, and when she'd refused – they wanted to ask her questions about who knew what, but she wasn't under arrest, which Walls himself had mentioned, trying to lead her down one of the hallways.

Now she sat at a table in an uncomfortable chair, Mark leaning against the wall behind her. Walls was across from her with one of his deputies. Avery couldn't remember his name and didn't bother to ask. They were in the midst of a waiting game. She had no idea what Walls was waiting for. She was just sititng quietly, waiting him out. Watching him try to maintain the poker face but unable to stop moving.

He finally cleared his throat. "I don't believe Mr. Calaway's presence is needed here. Especially since he's a suspect in Rob Williams's shooting."

Avery raised an eyebrow at that. "I thought you wanted to ask me questions. That didn't sound like a question." He might have the advantage when it came to making criminals uncomfortable but Avery thought he was underestimating her. Yes, she was just an elementary school principal, but she knew body language. She also knew how to give enough rope for people to hang themselves.

"We'd like to know your whereabouts two nights ago. About 2 in the morning." Walls was smirking at her.

"The night of that fire? I was home. Of course you had a deputy parked right in front of my house so you already know that." If he thought he was going to pin that on her...

The admission that she had noticed the deputy stopped him from responding for several long moments. Then the smirk started to return. "Care to vouch for Calaway's whereabouts at that time?"

Avery shrugged. "Sure. He was on the phone with me. And then he was at my house."

Again, Walls took another of those long pauses. "Honestly, Avery. You're going to alibi the man who shot another man in the stomach?"

"It's _Ms. Landry_. And I'm not alibiing the man who shot Williams. I'm alibiing Mark." Walls grit his teeth. The sound was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Avery only raised an eyebrow. "Is that it? Because it seems like you went to an awful lot of trouble to get me in here."

Walls stared at her. Now the look was blank. Emily would have said the lights were on but nobody was home. He blinked and shook himself out of it. "There is going to come a time, Ms. Landry, when you'll wish you had cooperated with us."

She didn't need to turn her head to know that Mark had started to take a protective step forward. Sweet. But not necessary. She raised a hand to stop him before he could get up too much of a head of steam. "Was that another threat? Becuase I kind of feel like I need to remind you that I was married to a lawyer that loves that kind of thing. And we're still on good terms." It was something Mark wouldn't understand; Jack and Avery had been married and he had lived in the house, but he was an outsider and always had been. An unknown element to the local law enforcement office. "And you did it in front of witnesses this time."

"It wasn't a threat." But the way Walls spoke, through clenched teeth, told Avery he was itching to come across the table at her. He wasn't used to not getting what he wanted.

"That's in the eye of the beholder I guess. So we'll be going. And I'd appreciate if you'd call your dogs off. I don't need babysitting. Or a police tail. I was told that I'm predictable which means I'm not going to do anything surprising enough to warrant a 24-7 watch over me personally. Maybe you should make a few deputies investigate all the dead bodies that were found outside of town. Seems like it would be a better use of resources." Avery got to her feet, carefully keeping a straight face. Walls's complexion had gone an alarming shade of red. He was angry but holding on to it. Barely.

She and Mark were quiet until they got to her car. Ben was still there, hanging out near his own car. When he saw them he tipped a wave before getting into the car and heading home.

"Are you crazy?" Mark finally asked. But he laughed when he said it.

"You said rattle. I rattled." Avery shrugged. "Was it too subtle, do you think?"

Mark snorted. "Yes. Very subtle."

"But he's mad right? And angry people are way more likely to make mistakes."

"Another CSI observation?"

"No. Actually." Avery smiled. "Personal observations mostly. Kids get mad, they say stuff they wouldn't normally say. And most adults are really just giant kids. I minored in child psychology. Some of it really stuck with me."

"Now you have to be extra careful. Your daughter..." 

"Safe at her dad's for a few weeks. I already arranged it."

"Maybe we should put you somewhere safe for a few weeks." Mark said, almost talking to himself.

"Bite your tongue. You need me." Avery pointed out.

"More than I ever thought I'd need anybody." Mark agreed, growing serious. "But we really do need to make you safe. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you, Avery."

"Are you going to get all mushy on me now? I can't even picture that in my mind." She pulled into her driveway and turned off the engine, dropping them into darkness.

"Not too mushy. But I need this..." He reached over and cupped the back of her head and pulled her toward him. And then he kissed her deeply until she was gasping for breath. "That helps." He finally said.

"We still haven't had supper." Avery pointed out as she led the way into the house.

"Food can wait. We can order a pizza. That'll give us at _least_ half an hour."

"So you're after a quickie?"

"No. Just some time without the insanity involved. I'll order the pizza." He headed for the phone on Avery's laugh. She tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter and went to the the living room. And Mark made it a point to avoid all topics related to what was going on. Avery understood that they needed a break. Especially after confronting Walls on his own turf, even if it had ended as abruptly as it had begun.

The pizza had been good. Just spending some non-crazy time with Mark was even better. But they still had to deal with reality, as much as she wished it would stop intruding on them.

"So what's next?"

"Next? We're still trying to find enough evidence to get the state cops involved. I could go to the state attorney general and see what can be done about removing your elected Sheriff from office since he'll be under investigation. What I need to do is find something that connects the sheriff to any of Williams's dead wives, or any of the bodies that have been found outside of town. But he's a cop. A bad one but still. He knows protocol. He also knows which evidence to bury. And how to present. There's been a lot of suicides of drifters around here. Three to four a year, which doesn't sound like much until you think it's been going on for the better part of 30 years."

"Why? Is it like some sort of game or something?" Avery couldn't help but ask. The thought of that many bodies...and not a peep around town. Of course not. It had never been anyone local. Drifters, hitchhikers, people who were passing through who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It made her sick to think about it.

"It might be. And it might be that he got the taste for it and can't stop. He's got the perfect set up here. He's in charge. Nobody questions him."

"Except for you."

"And now you." Mark sighed. "I really didn't want to get you involved, Avery. You have way more to lose than I do. And it's not worth the risk."

"I get that you want to protect me. But I think we're past that part. We just have to figure out how we're going to get Walls to trip over his own feet. That's all."

"That's all." Mark repeated with a humorless chuckle. "Man's made it his life work not to get tripped up."

"Yeah but why is he so fixated on you?" Avery asked with a yawn. Now that the drama of the day was done, and she'd eaten, she was getting a little sleepy. "Seems weird. You could have just come back to town, did your thing, and left. It's almost like he baited you into some kind of weird standoff. But what could the payoff be for him?"

Mark shook his head. He also smiled a little at her yawn. He shifted on the couch, stretching out, pulling her to sit between his legs with her back against his chest so he could hold on to her. "The night my mom died..." He trailed off. Avery waited him out. "I told you about them drinkin'. Celebratin'. And I called him out on it."

"And then you get back to town and he thinks you're the one that got away?" Avery asked.

"Maybe." But Mark sounded unsure. "He doesn't have a pattern. The dead bodies that I think are related to him are all different ages, races, different hair colors, different body types, different backgrounds. The only thing that connects them is where they were found. Just far enough out of town so that it wouldn't get connected to town. There were a lot of drownings though. That lake. Most were found with drugs or alcohol in their systems. Lots were written off as accidental."

Avery nodded, thinking. "Do they know your partner is here?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. Why?"

"Becasuse she's an out of towner. No ties to the town. And we haven't heard from her since yesterday."

Although Avery still sounded sleepy, her words were like ice being spilled down Mark's back. "Leah can take care of herself." But for the first time, he sounded unsure. Leah wouldn't go a full day without checking in. It wasn't how they operated.


	23. Chapter 23

23.

Even though Avery told him a hundred times she was fine to be home alone, Mark refused to leave her to go look for Leah. She could tell he was worried. He tried Leah's cell phone repeatedly, getting the same robotic voice mail each time. She regretted bringing it up, only because it ruined the mood Mark had been trying to set earlier. But he was juggling way too much and taking too much on himself.

Avery finally talked him into bed. She fell asleep before he did. She was aware of him tossing and turning, and he got up a few dozen times. It made for a restless night for both of them.

When Avery got up it was just past six. Mark wasn't in bed anymore. Apparently she'd fallen into a deep enough sleep that she didn't notice him get up. She found him downstairs in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee.

"Go." Avery told him for what felt like the millionth time.

"I'm not leaving you alone." On that he wouldn't be budged. He'd been saying it all night.

His cell phone rang, saving Avery from having to renew the argument they'd had through the night. She went toward the coffee pot as he picked it up.

"Yeah? Where the fuck are you?" The relief in his voice was unmistakable. Avery turned to watch him as he frowned deeply. "Well no shit. Nobody could get in touch with you. " He was quiet, the frown not budging. "Get over here." With that he hung up.

"She's Ok?" Avery asked, feeling relief. She barely knew the woman but she already knew Mark's attachment to her.

"Yeah. Runnin' around, playin' dumb tourist." He pushed his phone away, frustrated. "This town is gettin' to me, Avery. Too damn many shadows to jump at." Mark heaved a sigh and rested his head in his hands.

"You're doing too much." She said softly. Avery went to him and rubbed his shoulders, feeling how tense he was. "Go to bed. Get some sleep."

"Come with me." Mark groped for her hand and squeezed her fingers.

"Nah. I'll wait for Leah. You need to get some rest. Real rest. If she's all right, then whatever she was doing can wait for later." He reluctantly agreed. Avery watched him climb the stairs slowly before heading to the kitchen to finish her coffee.

Leah showed up 20 minutes later. "Sorry if you guys were worried." She said as Avery let her into the house. She had a serious look on her face. "Mark usually isn't such an alarmist."

"I think the circumstances are getting to him." Avery said. "Coffee?"

"Sure." Leah was carrying a backpack with her. "I haven't gone back to the motel. The vibe is weird there."

"The vibe is weird everywhere around here lately." Avery agreed. "Breakfast?"

"Sure. Where's Mark?"

"I made him go to bed. He didn't sleep last night." Avery dug through the fridge and pulled out bacon and eggs.

"Surely not on my account." Leah said with a laugh.

Avery went through their adventures with the local police. "So maybe it's not entirely because you disappeared. I think maybe he's got too much to worry about. Meaning me."

"Oh honey. He's needed to worry about you for a long time." Leah grinned at her. "Me, not so much. I spent most of the night following the sheriff around."

"You what?" Avery wasn't sure she'd heard right.

"Yeah. He must be a night owl. He didn't go home until almost 4 this morning. I lost track of him for about an hour, outside of town. He was just cruising though."

"Were you hoping to catch him in the act?" Avery asked. "Because he was really mad when we left the station last night. Things didn't go his way."

"Guy reminds me of a shark." Leah observed quietly. "At any rate, the fire marshall is out of town. Vacation. He left yesterday morning, which is a bit convenient."

"There's a lot of that going around."

"You're telling me." Leah sipped at her coffee.

"Was there a deputy parked outside?" Avery hadn't bothered to look.

Leah frowned. "Not that I saw. Why?"

"Because they saw fit to put a tail on me for a couple of days." Avery shook her head. "You both should just stay here until this is done. Who cares if they figure out who you are? They probably already know."

"I'm for it. Like I said, that motel was giving me the creeps this morning. But I do need to go get our stuff..."

"Not right now you don't." Avery eyed the other woman. "You really shouldn't go anywhere by yourself if you get a weird vibe. Town seems to be full of them lately. I always used to think this was the safest, most boring place on earth."

"For you, it might have been." Leah said. "You're a local. Locals are pretty off limits. With exceptions here and there. That Williams guy and his wives. Some of them were local."

Avery said nothing to that, because it was true. All of that had been happening right under their noses and noone had said a word.

It was nearly an hour later; Avery offered Leah the use of Emily's room for a nap. That left her to roam the first floor. She should be taking a nap as well since both of her visitors were sleeping deeply. But Avery wasn't used to taking naps. So she wrote a note for Mark in case he woke up before she got back, and headed to the school.

The custodial staff was working, stripping and waxing the floors in the cafeteria. Avery settled in her office and turned on her computer, She could have researched things at home, Emily had a computer in her bedroom. But she wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for. And she didn't want Mark breathing down her neck.

The sad thing was how obvious the town's problems were if someone were to pay attention. Their little town consistently made lists for it's low crime rate. Even with a few rowdy bars on the outskirts, the number of felony crimes was ridiculously low.

On the other hand, the number of accidents, accidental deaths, and suicides was through the roof. She found that out through police databases that were public record.

There were a ridiculous number of car accidents especially. Vehicular collisions, according to police reports. Vehicular collisions with fatalities. And yet Avery could not recall in recent memory ever getting stuck in traffic or seeing anything about car accidents.

She closed out of the databases and stared thoughtfully out the window. No deputy in the parking lot that day. Apparently the sheriff had taken her at her word. She had no idea why she had researched anything. It only made her feel worse. Desperate somehow. And violated for some reason. This place that she had loved enough to talk her then-husband into moving to, that she had seen fit to raise her daughter, was rotten at it's core.

Maybe not exactly rotten. But there was definitely a worm eating away at the center. It made sense – when every town around them seemed to grow and thrive, theirs had stayed the same sleepy, low key place it had always been. And that was probably exactly how the sheriff wanted it to stay.

The even scarier thought was how deep the cover up went. How many were involved? Could it just be Walls that was killing all of the people who had been found outside of town?

She realized who she needed to talk to. And she really did not want to talk to him. But Avery knew that Mark would never approach the man he was sure had killed his mother. Maybe because he'd be tempted to strangle him with his bare hands.

She shut down her computer and locked up. It was nearing lunch time but she'd never felt less hungry in her life. Avery debated going back and calling Mark to check in but decided against it. If he was still sleeping, she didn't want to wake him. And she really didn't want to tell him what she planned to do.

The hospital was only a hospital by a really good stretch of the word. Clinic was a better word. The building was not quite as big as the elementary school, and the entire left side was housed by private practice types who found operating within the hospital was more cost effective. That meant that the ER was tiny, and the wards were small. Any major trauma was usually transported to the next county.

It wasn't hard to find Williams's room. It was the only one in the adult wing with a chart hanging on the door. The nurse's station was deserted; they did not always stay in one particular place. Sometimes they got called to the ER or to the pediatric ward.

The door was open just a crack. Avery eased it open and noted that the room was empty. The bed was made. The bathroom door stood wide open, showing an empty room on that side as well. She frowned and looked at the chart on the door. The paperwork was blank. There wasn't even a name on the front.

It didn't mean anything, of course. He could be somewhere else. Of course the place was so small Avery probably could have giving a good 'Marco' and gotten a 'Polo' back as an answer. She didn't try that though. It was entirely possible that the gunshot wound meant a trip to the bigger hospital. Still puzzing it out, she went back to her car. She should head home. But she didn't. She went the other way instead, out toward the lake. The big lake. She wanted to stop by and see her dad. She hadn't seen him since the day of the funeral and it wasn't like him to keep to himself for so long.

Predictably she found Ted out on the back deck, reading. Suzanne always accused him of having his nose stuck in a book, and now that he was retired he made it his life mission to do just that. It made her smile. He glanced up and grinned when he spotted her.

"Hey, sweetheart." Ted set the book aside and got up to hug Avery tight. "Enjoying your vacation?"

"Ha. Yes." Avery kissed his cheek and took the empty lounge chair next to his.

"Lemonade? Tea?"

Avery waved that off. "No thanks. Just thought I'd swing by and see how you are. Joe get home all right? You know he never tells me when he comes and goes."

"Yes. Left Monday. It was nice, having him rattling around the house." The underlying tone of his voice made Avery feel horrible.

"It must be pretty quiet without Mom." She said softly.

"Too quiet. Never thought I'd miss the constant nitpicking." Ted smiled sadly. "You probably won't understand it, but that's what attracted me to her. That perfectionist streak. Even back in junior high, she had to have everything just so. These days you'd say she was OCD. But back then I _needed_ that kind of structure."

Avery smiled back at him. As much as her mother tore her down, she understood it wasn't because her mother was being malicious. It was just how she was. Avery had never met her maternal grandmother, and was almost relieved because from what she'd heard, Grandma had been even worse than Mom. She was glad she'd managed to avoid that particular familial trait.

"I've heard that you've had quite the blast from the past lately." Ted said after a few minutes of companionable quiet.

"News travels fast." Avery said with a shrug.

"Small town." Ted reminded her. "How's it going?"

"It's...complicated."

"Rekindling old flames usually is." Ted said with a raised eyebrow. "I can only imagine your mother's reaction to the news."

Avery couldn't help it. She snorted out a laugh. "Would it matter that he's got a perfectly respecatable job now?"

"Not in a million years." Ted lifted his glass of lemonade and lifted it slightly toward the lake that was visible through the trees. Saluting his wife, the smile still curling his lips and bringin gout his dimple. "She was one in a million."

"Two million." Avery agreed.

"You sure I can't get you a drink? Some lunch? I guess it's about that time."

"Lunch would be great. I didn't eat much this morning." Avery got up and followed her dad into his house, determined to spend a day doing normal. It seemed like she hadn't had nearly enough of that lately.


	24. Chapter 24

24.

Spending time with her dad gave Avery an idea. It was an obvious idea but one she hadn't considered. When she got back to the house that afternoon, Mark and Leah were both still sleeping. She thought a herd of elephants could have gone through the house and they might not have known it.

She went digging. Mark had brought over a few boxes. All of the files they had collected about what was going on around town. Avery looked thoughtfully at the ceiling and figured she'd better not just take the boxes and go. She went up the stairs to her room, where Mark was sleeping right in the center of the bed, on his stomach. He'd stripped naked before getting into bed. She admired the view for just a moment before sitting down on the bed next to him.

He stirred and blinked one eye open. Before he'd passed out, Mark had drawn the shade and curtain, making the room as dark as it would get. She could tell the light still stung his eyes. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Nope. Well. No wronger than it already is. I wanted to ask you something."

"Hmm?" He was already drifting back to sleep.

"I want to send copies of your files to Jack."

"Mmm." Again, it was just a noise.

"I can't tell if that's a 'hell no' or a 'great idea Avery'." She said, smiling a little.

"I'm sleepin'..." He managed to form words that time.

"I know." Avery reached out and let her fingers slide down his shoulder, his back. His skin was warm against her fingertips, Soft. No tension at all in the muscles. She hated to bug him but some things wouldn't wait. "I can take them to the school. Make copies. Run them out to Jack's. He's a lawyer. He can sift through and see if we have something."

Mark groaned and shifted, turning toward her. "Now?"

"Soon would be good."

He peered at her alarm clock and his eyes finally opened all the way. "Hell. You let me sleep all day."

"You needed it. And I didn't _let_ you. You just did." Her fingers went up and down his arm. "I tried to go visit Williams."

Mark frowned. "You did what?"

"I figured somebody had to." Avery stopped him from commenting. "He wasn't there. Place is pretty deserted."

Mark pushed himself up onto his elbow. "What do you mean, he wasn't there?"

"Not there. Gone. If he was ever there at all." Avery shrugged. "They could have taken him to the regional place. It's only like thirty minutes away."

"Not acording to the reports. They said he was being treated here." Mark pushed a hand through his disheveled hair, moving it back from his face.

"They obviously lied."

"Leah didn't go back out did she?" Mark asked, still trying to get his brain to kick in.

"She's sleeping. I checked. Now about those files of yours..."

"Yeah. You wanna take them to some lawyer."

"My ex."

"Why?" Mark looked confused by that. Avery smirked.

"Because he's an outside. Really. And a lawyer. And he'll know what to do with the stuff. Plus...he golfs with the state attorney general."

"Of course. A lawyer with connections." Mark rolled his eyes. "He's not a defense attorney is he?"

"Nope. He's a litigator. Lots of arguing fine details."

He seemed to think that over. "I don't want to drag him into this. I have a friend I can send copies to. He's one of our assistant district attornies. That's who I was going to send it to anyway once we figured out what we were doing."

"What you're doing is fact collecting. You can't act on it. You're way outside your jurisdiction." Avery pointed out. "And since the local cops are out..." She shrugged. "Jack knows some of the higher up state cops too. His dad was a judge."

"Avery I didn't even want to get you involved in this."

"Too late for that." Avery let her eyes wander down his body. "I'm already neck deep." She reached out and slid her fingers down his chest. She couldn't seem to help but touch him.

"I thought you were in some godawful hurry to do something with my files?" He made it a question. He'd caught the direction of her thoughts. Avery smiled at that.

"The sooner the better. I don't like having all of that here. What if somebody steals it? Or burns down the house to get rid of it? Because apparenty stuff like that is prone to happening. And you need to go get whatever stuff you have at the motel. You're staying here."

"I am?"

"You both are. Leah was all right with it." Avery shook her head. "I can clean out the guest room. It just needs a dusting and clean sheets on the bed. Leah can stay in there or Emily's room. She won't be back for a few weeks."

"Avery..."

"She said the motel was giving her a bad vibe. Which is why she was tooling around town all night." She ignored when he tried to interrupt her.

"My leave only covers me until Sunday. The reunion is Saturday night."

Avery felt as if she'd been punched. "And?"

"And we have to get this shit done before that happens. We're working on a deadline."

She nodded slowly. She hadn't even considered the thought that he'd be leaving soon. Hell, he'd said himself that he was on there for a few weeks. It shocked her, how fast that time had gone.

That meant they really only had a matter of days. "Then I really do need to give copies to Jack now, don't I?" Avery shot that back at him. She was angry. She shifted and got up off the bed before he could stop her.

"Avery...wait..."

"We don't have time to wait, remember?" Avery looked back at him. He'd slid to the side of the bed. She didn't wait for him. She turned and headed for the stairs. She didn't even know why she was mad. She had known he'd be leaving. She just hadn't given any thought that it would be so damned soon.

She grabbed the phone and went out to the porch to call Jack. He answered on the first ring. Avery debated for all of 10 seconds before deciding to be honest with him. She told him everything.

"Jesus, Av..." When she finally wound down, Jack was left nearly speechless. That hadn't happened since the night she'd told him she was pregnant with Emily. It almost made her laugh.

"I know it's a lot and it's crazy but...I've believed Mark from the beginning. And stuff is happening here that makes me believe it more than ever."

"Send me copies. Of everything." His voice had taken on a familiar note. Avery had often called it his lawyer tone. Jack was serious most of the time, but serious did not even begin to describe his courtroom style. "I want written statements from all three of you. I want dates and times, witnesses. Can you get it to me tonight?"

"Probably." Avery said, feeling better. "I can take the files to school to copy. I don't trust sending them through the mail. There's a lot of stuff. I might drive them up myself."

"Make your copies today. But don't drive up here tonight." Jack cautioned. "It would probably be better to keep the copies somewhere else. And bring them in the morning."

"Why not tonight?" It was late afternoon. Jack was only an hour away. Avery didn't like the thought of waiting.

"Because you said that things don't happen to people _in_ town. I prefer you don't try leaving or entering in the dark if it's possible."

Once Jack said it, Avery knew it made perfect sense. It would be the kind of opportunity the sheriff might not let pass. One of those many, many vehicular collisions that seemed to happen for no reason on perfectly clear and straight roadways, the town mourns, Emily moved in with her father. Avery saw it all clearly in her mind's eye. And hated that he was right. She needed to exercise the caution that she had kept telling Mark to keep in mind.

"Fine. I'll email you my statement. That'll be a start. I want you to have that just in case..." She trailed off, not able to finish.

"I can send a couple of state cops down tonight." Jack heard the worry in her vocie. "I know Vic Jones. He's the commander at the state outpost. He'll listen."

Avery was tempted. Very tempted. She thought of Mark and Leah and how they had run themselves ragged, and gave in. "Could you? I would feel better if there were more outsiders here. Outside law enforcement."

"You got it. Now get me that statement. And Av? Be careful."

"I will. Tell Em I love her." They hung up and Avery was left tapping the phone against her hand for a few moments. With a sigh she went back into the house. She wanted to get her statement down and force Mark to writing his own. If something happened to either of them, there had to be a record.

She found him in the kitchen. He turned when she entered the room. He'd taken the time to drag a comb through his hair and had it tied back from his facein a low ponytail. And he'd put on his jeans but no shirt. Lord help her, even if she was half mad at him, he was still sexy as all get out. Life was going to be so boring when he went back to his life in Houston. Ignoring how much that thought hurt, Avery leaned a hip against the counter.

"Who were you talking to?" Mark asked, curious.

"Jack. Weighing some options." She tossed the phone onto the counter. "We need to email him our statements about what's happening here. And go to the school to make copies of everything. I'm going to drive them up in the morning. And he's going to get a couple of state cops down here." She held up a hand before Mark could talk. "We're just making this official. With outside police, Walls will have to be on his best behavior. And I'll feel better about sleeping at night."

Mark nodded slowly. But he looked hurt. Like she had wounded him somehow. "If that's what it takes to make you feel safe."

"It's not a knock against you. As you so helpfully pointed out, after Sunday I'm on my own. Pardon me for wanting to be prepared for the fucking worst." With that she pushed away from the counter and went to the stairs. Leah was at the top, yawning but looking more awake than she had that morning. Good. It meant she wouldn't have to wake the woman up to get to the computer in Emily's room.

Leah's presence stopped Mark from following her. She could hear them talking but coulnd't make out words. She didn't care. She fired up the computer and opened her email, wondering for a moment just where exactly to start.


	25. Chapter 25

25.

It didn't take Avery long to put a statement together. She stuck to the facts – things she had personally seen and heard over the past few weeks. She kept her personal feelings out of it. She'd head enough from Jack over the years to know that was the important thing. Feelings were not facts. At least not when it came to Jack's court cases.

Surprisingly, Mark took little convincing. He was just slower at typing. Avery got the feeling he was doing it more out of keeping her happy than wanting to give over control of things. Too bad for him.

Once that was done Avery, Mark and Leah took the boxes to the car and headed for the school. The custodial staff was long gone. They divided the files and Leah headed for the library to make her copies. Avery went to her office. There was coper there. Mark took his to the staff work room to use the big printer. They figured it would get done faster.

Avery made her copies as fast as she could, keeping one eye on the windows that overlooked the parking lot. She fully expected the sheriff or some of his minions to show up. When that didn't happen it made her even more tense. She was finishing up – there was something to be said for the high powered, loud copy machines they used at the school – when Mark came into the office lugging his boxes.

"Done. And Leah is finishing up too." He had switched to a more standoffish tone since they'd left the house. Even to Leah. The other woman had shot him some confused looks but Mark seemed to not notice. Avery nodded and pulled the last of the copied pages off the printer. She straightened them and shut the printer down.

It was weird they were suddenly being so careful around each other. Avery thought maybe Mark thought she was going to snap at him again. She didn't want to snap at him. She didn't want to face the fact that he would be leaving soon. She was fine until he'd reminded her.

The boxes were heavier going outside. Avery helped load them into the trunk of the car and made sure the school doors were locked. The plan was to make their next stop the motel, to pick up their bags and get them checked out. No sense in paying for rooms they weren't using. Avery and Leah waited while Mark took care of his room, and then Leah and Mark traded off so she could take care of hers. The unspoken agreement was that they didn't leave Avery alone. She got that even if they didn't say it out loud.

Mark waited until Leah disappeared into her room before looking at Avery. "I don't like the idea of you driving by yourself tomorrow."

"But you also don't like leaving your partner here to fend for herself." Avery already knew that he felt responsible for both of them. "So what are you trying to say, you want to take the files to Jack?"

That seemed to give him pause. He frowned. "I don't even know him. I wish there was another way. I wish I hadn't put all this one you. I know it's been a long time and I know that you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you, but..."

Now it was Avery's turn to frown. She didn't feel the same way? He had to be crazy. She interrupted him. "Why are you doing my thinking for me? I've got a functional brain, I can handle that myself." That shut him up. So Avery decided to just dive on in. "I love you too, OK? And I'm not saying that because I'm angry, or I'm trying to win some kind of argument or something. I've loved you since we were kids. Part of me never stopped."

His frown smoothed out. Mark almost smiled. Almost. He reached over and cupped her face in his hand, slipping his thumb over her cheek. "You gotta believe that I _don't_ wanna leave you Sunday. Or ever. If I had my way we'd run off together and just start over somewhere. But you have your life here, your daughter, your job. And I have my job. And I'm kinda stuck there for the time bein'. If – no – _when_ we get this thing worked out, I'm coming back for you. For us. It's probably gonna kill me havin' to wait, but we're worth it."

"I know." Avery said it softly.

"I love you." Mark matched her tone, her volume. "I wanna marry you, Avery. I wanna be with you for the rest of my life. I've waited 20 years. I can wait a little bit longer."

Avery looked into his eyes, taking in the serious expression. "I love you too. That's why I called Jack. Because I know you can protect me, but it was the only thing I could think of to protect you." She pressed her hand against his, still lightly stroking the skin of her face.

He was saved from answering by Leah rejoining them. She tossed her bags into the back seat and slid in, taking in the pose in front of her. "Am I interrupting?"

"Yes." Mark didn't hedge. But he smirked when he said it. Regretfully he pulled away from Avery but kept hold of her hand as he headed back toward her house. They carried the original files back inside the house, but left the copies locked in the truck of Mark's car, parked and locked in the garage.

"I think I figured it out." Aery said once they were at the house.

"Figured what out?" Leah asked. They had been talking quietly in the kitchen while supper cooked. Nothing fancy. Avery was making burgers.

"How to get the files to Jack." That has been the discussion. Who would go? Who would stay? "Ben. He's on our side."

"That deputy?" Leah asked. She had been updated on the happenings from the night before.

"Yeah. He knows something is up. I can call him and get him to go with me..."

"I don't know if that's..."

"I should probably..."

Mark and Leah talked over each other. Avery would have laughed if not for the identical serious expressions they were wearing. They shared a look and Leah nodded. But it was Mark that ended up speaking.

"Leah can go with Ben. I want you here. Where I can keep an eye on you."

"Becuase I'll be doing so much interesting stuff?" Avery said with a smirk.

"No. Because you managed to piss off the sheriff. We don't want to give him _any_ chance to get a shot at you. So we'll stick close to home. If you're ex brings in the state cops, I'd rather they be watching you than watching one of us. And I'd rather they stay in town just in case."

Avery nodded in understanding. She couldn't get mad about it. She would be missing a chance to see her daughter, but if things went well, she would see her soon enough. She finished cooking the burgers and set them aside so she could dig up her copy of the school's contact information sheets. She kept one at home, because there were some occasions when she had to call people after hours. This just happened to be one of those times.

Ben picked up on the first ring. Avery explained what they had planned and he thought it over. "This could cost me my job." He finally said.

"Not if it works. And if it does, what are you really losing? Working for that worm dressed as a sheriff? I can get you a job at the school. Dad can get you on at the high school. Hell, Jack might be able to pull some strings for the state cops, if you still want to be in law enforcement. But we have got to get those files to him."

"Then we should go tonight." Ben finally said.

"We already decided that going after dark would be a bad idea." Avery said.

"For you. Maybe for your friends. I'm heading out anyway. I'm off the next three days and thought I'd meet the wife and kids at her mom's house for the weekend. Surprise them. I don't usually get weekends off. Besides that...Walls is tied up tonight at least for a few hours. He's hosting the bonfire down at the lake for the AmVets."

"Hold on." Avery turned to Leah and Mark and told them Ben's suggestion. They did another of those non-verbal, very loaded looked.

"I'm game." Leah said with a shrug.

"Ok." Avery said that back into the phone. "Tonight it is. I need to let Jack know. I'll write up directions and Leah will come by your place in a bit." She hung up the phone and gestured toward the food. "Is anybody going to eat?" Neither of them had moved.

She didn't wait for an answer. She dug into a drawer and pulled out a notepad and pen and jotted down directions to Jack's place. Then she called Jack and let him know that there was a change of plans. Jack sounded eager ot get his hands on the files. He knew there was something there, if only because Avery thought there was.

The three of them ate quickly and then Leah was grabbing Mark's car keys and heading out. They had to get while the getting was good. Mark and Avery stood on the porch and watched the taillights disappeared around the corner.

"I hope we're doing the right thing." Mark said, almost too low for Avery to hear.

"We're doing the only thing." She assured him, making sure to inject some confidence into her voice. Even if the sheriff was occupied it didn't mean he his deputies weren't running free. And who knew which of them they could trust beyond Ben? Leah had been sent with an invitation from Jack to stay the night and return in the morning, which suited everyone. Now they just had to wait.


	26. Chapter 26

26.

There was a good way to take their minds off the waiting.

Mark and Avery ended up in the shower together. Avery was starting to wind down Way down. The sleepless night she'd had was coming back to bite her on the rear. The plan had been for a hot shower and bed.

The shower ended up being hot all right. Instead of just watching, Mark had stripped and had gotten into the shower with her. Avery let herself be turned and then his mouth was on hers, tongue probing her parted lips as his hands slid easily against her wet skin. Avery moaned into his mouth at the feel of his body against hers. When they finally pulled apart, Mark was looking at her with an intensity that send pleasurable shivers down her back. Instead of capitalizing on her willingness to share the shower, he reached past her and picked up the soap and used it to lather his hands. Then he started stroking his slippery fingers and palms against her body, starting at her shoulders, working his way down.

Avery practically purred under his hands. He kept his touch light, letting his fingertips skim over her breasts, her stomach, down her hips and legs then back up. He turned her and repeated the same slow massage down her back. When he stroked his way back up, he moved closer to press against her backside, his hands sliding around to pull her back against his chest as the water rinsed the soap from her. His big hands cupped her breasts and squeezed gently, making her arch into his palms. One of his hands slid down her belly, fingers sliding easy against her wet skin. Avery moaned louder as his fingers found her clit and he started stroking her slowly.

Mark ducked his head and sucked on the skin where her her shoulder met her neck. Avery had to brace a hand against the wall to hold herself up against all the sensations that ran through her body. She closed her eyes, trying not to focus on just one thing. Just enjoying how it felt to be stroked and held. Avery reached back with her free hand let it rest against the side of Mark's thigh, shuddering at the feel of hard muscle under smooth skin. Powerful feelings of possessiveness went through her. That was something new as well. Mark belonged to her just as she belonged to him. Maybe it was just stronger because she knew she would have to give him up again soon.

Avery refused to think about that. She pushed it away and just focused on his hands, his mouth, the feel of his body pressed up behind her, the spray of water on both of them. She could have stayed like that forever, but it did not take long for the sensation to spiral out of control as she cried out and shook in his arms.

Her legs were still shaking a few minutes later when Mark carefully pulled his hand away from her center and held her in a loose hug. "Go on to bed. I'll be there in a minute." He whispered that close to her ear before dropping another kiss on her neck.

Avery wasn't going to argue with that. She was still tired but not as exhausted as she had been. Maybe because she was anticipating what was going to happen when he joined her in the bed. She dried off and combed her haid, not bothering with pajamas. She had a feeling she wasn't going to need them.

Hours later, Avery was pulled from a deep sleep. She turned, smiling when Mark's arm tightened around her stomach, and figured she'd drop back off. But something was weird in the room. It was oddly...dark. She blinked a few times at the bedside table and finally realized that her alarm clock, which usually glowed a dull red, was dark. The house was strangely quiet. She expected to at least hear rain against the window. It didn't happen often but every now and then a storm could knock out the power for a bit.

She was on the verge of falling back to sleep when she heard it. A creak. The house was old, and it made all sorts of settling noises. But Avery had lived there her entire life and she knew the noises as well as she knew the sound of her child's voice. Someone had stepped on the floorboard between the kitchen and living rom. The creak and pop was distinctive.

She sat up slowly, wide awake now. Another pop and soft scrape. Step one on the staircase. Someone was definitely in the house. Avery reached over and shook Mark's shoulder. He made a low noise and pushed her hand away.

"Mark..." She hissed his name out in a whisper, not wanting to be heard. Avery leaned over, right next to his ear. "Somebody's in the house."

She felt him move. "What..." His voice was low too but he stopped after the first word as what she said sank into his tired brain. Avery felt him groping for her hand in the darkness and she took his fingers and squeezed. "Gun is in my bag..." His voice was lower than a whisper but since his mouth was against her ear, Avery heard just fine. She slid to the edge of the bed, careful to keep the silence as another stairtread creaked. Whoever it was, they were halfway to the top.

Avery avoided the worst of the noisy flooring and made her way to the dresser as quick as she dared. Mark's bag was beside the dresser. Avery fumbled for a moment and finally felt her fingers brush against cold metal. She wasn't afraid of guns, and her dad had taught her to shoot, but the thought of actually having to use one against a person made her shudder internally.

She hurried back to the bed. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to make out Mark's shadow as he sat on the end of the bed with his head cocked to the side, listening. He jumped when she touched his shoulder. Avery would have laughed any other time. Instead she reached for his hand and gave him the gun.

That done, she pulled the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself, suddenly mindful of how undressed they both were. Mark either didn't notice or didn't care. Maybe a little of both. From the end of the bed, he had a clear sightline to the doorway even in the darkness. Avery felt him shift and move until he was holding the gun pointed firmly at the doorway. Waiting. Not moving.

Time seemed to stop while they waited. And finally another board creaked in the upstairs hall. Whoever it was, they had figured out not to walk in the center of the stairs and walkways, where it was noisiest. They were also going in the wrong direction, toward Emily's room at the other end of the hallway. So it was definitely someone not familiar with their house.

Which, in Avery's opinion, could have been anyone.

Mark took the opportunity to lean toward her so that his mouth was against her ear. "You're gonna wanna cover your ears. And shut your eyes." He didn't have to say why. He meant to shoot whoever it was as soon as they came to the door, not giving the person a chance to do anything to them. And then a sobering thought hit Avery.

"What if it's more than one person?" She spoke in the same manner he had, lips to his ear, voice low.

She felt him shrug. Least of his worries. She got it.

Another creaking noise. The footsteps were finally getting closer. Avery scooted onto the bed behind Mark, and squeezed her eyes shut. Even though she was braced for it, and had her hands blocking her hears, the boom of the gun still made her jump and cry out when it came. There was a thud from the hallway. Her ears were still ringing from the shot fired in the enclosed space, but Mark never wavered. He sat still for a few minutes, waiting to see if someone else wanted to jump out.

"You have a flashlight?" He asked. Although he kept his voice low, it was at a normal whisper level. "They probably cut the power. Or threw a breaker. Where's the box?"

"Laundry room off the kitchen." She couldn't believe they were having what would amount to a normal conversation under other circumstances. Someone had just broken into her house. Maybe had been looking to hurt them. And Mark had shot whoever it was.

Avery scooted to the bedside table and pulled open the bottom drawer. All the way in the back was a flashlight. She couldn't remember the last time she'd changed the batteries in it, but when she pushed the button it came on and glowed bright. She handed it to Mark and watched as he went to the dresser and pulled a pair of jeans out of his bag. Once he had them on, he headed for the doorway and cautiously poked his head out.

"Son of a bitch..." He was shining the light on the body at his feet. Avery got up and walked over, shaking her head in annoyance when Mark moved to block her view. "Darlin', you don't need to see this." His voice was all concern.

"Like hell I don't. My house. Remember? Who is it?"

"Williams." Mark almost spat the name out. Avery raised an eyebrow. And gently pushed Mark until he moved out of her way. Enough light spilled from where he was aiming the flashlight for her to see Rob Williams, his blank eyes staring up at her ceiling. He'd fallen at a weird angle so his neck was crooked to the side where his head had hit the wall.

Mark had nailed him dead center in the chest. She remembered her neighbor and his utter detachment when he'd said that Williams was probably going to die. And now she understood how he felt. Holding the sheet, Avery bent down. She grimaced in distaste as she touched Williams's body and pulled at his shirt.

"What are you doin'?" Mark asked, using the flashlight more judiciously so he could see what Avery was up to.

"Just curious." The shirt was up to the chest. She stopped before she got to the bullet wound Mark had caused. She pointed at the man's stomach. He was overweight from a lifetime of abusing alcohol and sitting around. "His gut shot magically healed."

"What the fuck." It wasn't a question. Mark gently moved her aside and checked Williams's body carefully. "He wasn't shot. They lied about it."

"Trying to set you up? Or plotting to finally get you?" Avery caught the direction of his thoughts. She also spied something else. She reached over and covered the hand Mark was using to hold the flashlight and turned it. On the floor was a gun. Not like the one Mark had. This one was fitting with somethig on the end.

"Silencer." Mark supplied. He looked from it, back to the body. "I don't think he was comin' for me. That wouldn't have been necessary. I think he meant to get you while you were sleepin' next to me. So I'd wake up to it." As he spoke, his hand tightened so much around the flashlight that his knuckles were white. Avery reached out and tried to get him to relax his fingers before he cracked the cheap plastic.

"But he didn't." Avery reminded him. "You weren't joking. One shot."

"Yeah." Mark sighed. "Let's get the lights on and call...fuck. Who do we call?"

"State cops." Avery didn't hesitate. Nobody local would be of any help at all. "Call Leah, let her know too." She had called earlier to tell them that she'd made it to Jack's. "I can get the lights."

"No." Mark rubbed a hand down his face. "We'll both go down. They're desparate. Let's not make it easy for them."


	27. Chapter 27

27.

Avery thought it was funny when the state trooper in charge tried one of her tricks on her. Maybe she was just tired. That was two nights in a row where sleep wasn't going to happen.

Sargeant Sam Rogers was seated across the kitchen table from, arms folded over his check. She figured he intimidated a lot of criminals with his dark eyes and extremely massive bulk. He honestly made Mark look like a small man. Avery worried for her kitchen chair as it creaked under him.

He hadn't said a word since he'd asked her to come into the kitchen. He'd just studied her with his unreadable dark eyes, so deep they were nearly black. Avery had been the one to call the nearest state trooper outpost. Rogers was already aware that a couple of his men were going to be going to town in the morning. So he'd cut out the middleman and had come himself. He knew Jack, apparently. She'd gotten that much when the troopers had first shown up.

Currently the medical examiner was upstairs, preparing to move Rob Williams's body out of the house. The shot had been clean, straight to the heart. He'd barely bled, probably dead before he hit the floor. They'd been talking quietly but Avery could hear them from the next room. Mark was out on the front porch, talking to a trooper that Avery hadn't met. She understood they had separated them to make sure their stories matched up.

It made her wonder why the big intimidating guy had seen fit to pull Avery aside, and then sit wordless and study her under the lights of the kitchen. The main breaker had been tripped. It had been easy enough to get the lights back on.

"Ms. Landry." Rogers finally spoke, his voice deep and steady. "I got the gist of the...issues...in town from Jack Landry earlier this evening. I wasn't prepared to believe it based just on some files that were put together in a week. This however goes a long way toward proving your point."

Avery raised an eyebrow. "Issues." She snorted that word out. That was one way to put it.

Rogers smiled. It transformed him from a badass into a giant teddy bear. "Your sheriff if M.I.A. Apparently he disappeared shortly after some public event." He tapped the earpiece that was pushed into his left ear. "Looks like he packed in a hurry. Maybe he knew we were comin'. Either way, he's priority one in the BOLO file. We're going to have a trooper sitting on your house until he's found." He held up a hand. As if Avery were going to argue. "How deep does it go? The corruption?"

"I honestly have no idea." Avery frowned in thought. "At least some of the deputies are in on it. There's one that helped us out. He suspected that Walls had his favorites and they were doing stuff on the night shift together. He didn't specify what." She looked toward the window where she could see Mark still pacing the porch. "He's not going to be in trouble right?"

"Not at all. Defending himself and you. Clean kill." Rogers softened at the look that crossed her face. "Sorry."

"It's all right." Avery figured she had been in shock. She accepted the fact that a man had been killed in her house just a little too easily. Now that the calvary had arrived, it was starting to sink in. "He got in through the back door." She pointed to the corner. "The lock sticks sometimes. It doesn't fully engage. I should have checked it. Or fixed it a long time ago."

"You can't go blamin' yourself for what a crazy man does." Rogers dropped the defensive pose of crossed arms and leaned his arms on the table. "You heard him comin' and that's all that matters."

"What about Walls? Am I going to hear him coming?" Avery asked, feeling a bit angry. "How the hell did he know to get out? Did he send that asshole over here and plan the whole thing out?"

"We haven't got that far in figurin' things out yet." Rogers reached across the table and dropped a big hand over hers. "But we'll find him. Right now I have troopers tracking down all the deputies. We're going to get to the bottom of this. I promise you that."

"I hope so. I might never sleep again." Avery said, feeling exhausted all the way down to her soul. "Can I please see Mark now? Everything happened exactly how we said."

Rogers nodded. "I don't see why not. Nobody can say we didn't follow procedure. We'll get out of your hair soon enough. And like I said, we'll have a man sitting on your house." He got up from the chair and Avery was struck again by the man's sheer size. She heard him talking in the living and a few minutes later, Mark came into the kitchen and knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms.

Avery had taken the time to throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, but Mark was still only wearing his jeans. She buried her face against his shoulder and breathed in deeply, shaking a little now that it seemed to be over.

Avery had to remind herself that it was not over. It wouldn't be over until Walls was accounted for and stopped. And his disappearance made her fear for Mark's life even more. They'd balked him, baited him, and now they'd denied him. He was going to be pissed off.

Mark was stroking her back lightly. "It's all right, darlin'."

"Is it?" Avery asked, voice muffled. "Are you all right? You're the one that...you know."

"I'm fine. Just got to make it a separate thing. I learned how to deal with this stuff in trainin'."

"If I hadn't heard that floorboard..." Avery said it with another of those shudders.

"But you did. That's what counts." Mark held her tighter. "You're in the wrong line of work. You shoulda been the cop."

Avery didn't even crack a smile. "What am I supposed to do? That...thing...was in my house."

"First, we are going to get some rest. The adrenaline is wearin' off. That's all this is. Things are gonna look better in the mornin'."

"Rest?" Avery almost didn't know what that word meant.

"It'll happen. Trust me."

Avery saw the medical examiner cross the doorway and looked away as they took Williams's body out of her house. That went a long way toward making her feel better. She hadn't care for the man and honestly was glad Mark had done what needed to be done, but the fact that he'd been in _her_ house remained.

"You killed him. I guess that counts as justice. How does it feel?" Avery asked,

"Empty. I don't believe he was worth the bullet. Come on, let's go get comfortable."

"I want to clean. Especially upstairs." Avery watched Mark stand up and let him pull her to stand with him.

"That'll keep. And I'll help you. But not right this second. We need to sit down. The couch'll do." Mark insisted. Avery let herself be led to the living room. Through the front window she could see the ambulance pulling away from the house. Lights off, transporting Williams to the clinic for storage until he was taken to the state morgue for an autopsy. The remaining troopers were talking to the neighbors who had inevitably come out to see what the fuss was. One of the troopers was still on the porch, large cup of coffee in his hand. He was the cop assigned to watch the house for the rest of the night, Avery had no doubt.

Mark got her on the couch and hunted down a blanket to pull over them. Snuggled up against him, the exhaustion finally won out and she fell into a fitfull sleep. She kept waking up at every noise, sure that someone was coming again. Each time Mark soothed her until she dozed off again.

She must have fallen into a deeper sleep at some point. When Avery woke up for good, the sun was shining brightly through the window. Mark was no longer with her, but she could hear him talking softly from the direction of the kitchen. She blinked at the bright light and saw that the trooper – or another one – was still on the porch, this time sitting on the swing. They weren't being subtle about watching over her. It also told her that they still had not found Walls. It put a shadow on the day. Moreso than Williams dying in her upstairs hallway.

Speaking of stairs...Avery fully meant to go up and take a shower and change. But she stood at the foot of the steps and could only look up, not really wanting to go further than the first stair.

"You all right?" Mark asked from behind her, making her jump. Avery spun around and glared at him.

"Put a bell on, would ya?" She put her hand against her chest. She wasn't really mad at him, just mad at the scare he'd put in her.

"Sorry." He half-smiled. "I cleaned." He gestured toward the steps. "Wasn't much to clean up but I did it."

"I said I would handle it."

"You didn't have to. You didn't make the mess." Mark came toward her and Avery finally started climbing. The air got heavier the higher she got. And she felt dizzy.

"Hellfire." Avery turned and sat on the steps. She was only about halfway up. "I'm pretty sure this is what an anxiety attack feels like." She said, her voice sounding faraway to her own ears.

Mark kneeled on the stairs and looked at her worriedly. "What can I do?"

"Just give me a minute." Avery let her head rest on her knees as she tried to just focus on breathing in and out. She had to get a handle on this. The guy was dead. She probably should have heeded Mark's advice and not looked. She couldn't seem to get the image of his empty eyes out of her head. "I can't see spending the rest of my life terrified of going to the second floor of my goddamned house." She finally said, standing up. Mark smiled uncertainly and followed as she continued up the stairs.

Everything in the hall was as it should be. The faint smell of bleach was detectable. Good. It meant she wouldn't have to go over what Mark had already done. He had even gone so far as to change the sheets on the bed and throw a load of laundry in to wash.

"I want a shower. And coffee. Lots of coffee."

"Easy enough. Do you want me to stay up here with you?"

Avery thought that over before shaking her head. She couldn't expect Mark to guard her every second of the day. Besides that, she was taking a five minute shower. It wasn't like he'd be out of her sight for long. "I'll be all right."

Nonetheless, he still waited until she had gathered her things and stepped into the hot water before he headed back downstairs. Avery hadn't bothered to ask him questions. She figured the fact that a trooper was still outside told her everything she needed.

Ten minutes later, she was going down the stairs. She did give the spot in the hall where Williams had fallen as much distance as possible. It was difficult considering it happened right in front of her door. Avery knew she just had to give it time. She found Mark in the kitchen, fussing over the stove. The smell of strong coffee filled the kitchen. Avery poured herself a generous cup and toop a sip, breathing in the scent.

"Any news?" Avery finally asked once the caffeine had been introduced to her system.

"Not much. Leah's on her way back. Jack was taking the files to the state AG. Walls is still unaccounted for but he has a few places that might be promisin'. Troopers are runnin' them down today. They arrested eight guys this mornin'. And they're talking."

"That's good. Great even."

"Yeah. Eager to turn on each other." Mark shook his head. "I had to call my bosses and let them know what was happenin' so they didn't hear it trhough the grapevine. They aren't necessarily happy with me at the moment. Worried it might look bad, like I've gone rogue or somethin'." He stopped but Avery was sure he meant to say more. But he only shook his head and dropped into a thoughtful silence.

Avery could read it even if he didn't say it. "They want you to go back. Now."

Mark could only nod at that. "So they can get their ducks in a row. Can't seem to make them understand that whatever happened here is still happenin' here. And I can't leave yet."

"Won't you get in trouble if you don't?"

"Fuck it. More important things than reporting back to the bosses so they can look nice on the nightly news." Mark said with some annoyance in his voice.

"You're staying?" Avery couldn't keep the relief from seeping out in the two simple words.

"Until Walls is stopped. Yeah." He finally turned and looked at her. Avery tried to ignore how his correction hurt. "I do have to go back eventually but I'm not leavin' you until I know you're safe. And then it's only temporary. Right?"

"If you say so."

"I do say so." Mark nodded emphatically. "I dont't know how to say it and make you believe it. I'm in it with you for the long haul, darlin'. You're stuck with me now whether you wanna be or not."

"I do wanna be." Avery said with a nod and the ghost of a smile crossing her lips.

"Thank god. Because it would be embarrassin' otherwise. Let's get you some breakfast. Then we can figure out our next steps. I know the staties are workin' on ther end of things but we have the home team advantage. Let's figure out how to shut this shit down permanently."


	28. Chapter 28

28.

Leah decided to go home and take some of the focus off of Mark. She figured if at least one of them were there to explain things publicly, they wouldn't give Mark too much grief for sticking around. As soon as they were done with lunch she was packed and ready to go.

That left a long, slow, rainy afternoon to kill. Storms had moved in and were expected to stay through the night. Avery honestly couldn't remember how the hell she had spent other days when school was out. Her mind kept going to the night before. She couldn't believe how well she had handled it as it happened. Too bad the aftermath was shaking her so badly. She supposed that was normal though.

Mark was handling it much better. Of course, he had more to keep him occupied. Rogers called several times to update him on the progress of questioning the deputies. And Avery could tell it was just about killing Mark to hear about it all second-hand.

"You know, I have a babysitter installed. You can go to the station." They state cops were working out of the sheriff's station for the time being. It was a closer base of operations.

"I said I wasn't going to leave you. And I'm not."

"You wouldn't be leaving. You'd be ten minutes away." Avery pointed out. It was sweet he wanted to stay but honestly, his relentless pacing was setting her nerves on edge. "I might go see dad anyway. Let him know what's going on so he doesn't worry. Unless you want to go with me..." Avery left it hanging there.

Mark had looked at her for a minute, frowning thoughtfully. "I've met your dad."

"Right. 20 years ago. Before we started whatever this is. He already knows we've been seeing each other. Don't tell me he still intimidates you after all this time."

"No." But he had the start of a smile on his lips. "Maybe a little."

"You'll have to face him eventually." Avery smirked. In the end, she talked Mark into going down to the station. He needed to keep busy, and work, and they were willing to let him join in. She thought he'd be wasting an opportunity if he didn't take it.

Her assigned trooper was a young guy name Tom Cooper. Avery told him about her plan of going to her dad's and he offered to drive her so he wouldn't have to follow her out there. She couldn't find a reason to argue with him. Tom kept up chatter during the short drive. Asking her questions about her dad, his place. She got that he was fishing for information to help keep an eye on things, and appreciated the approach.

"You want to come in?" Avery asked when they got to the house. Tom was looking around the wooded lot, taking in the view of the lake to the back. It was nearly dusk. The rain had made it a bit darker than normal. There wouldn't be any fancy sunset over the lake that night. Her dad's car was parked right by the front porch. It meant he was home. Avery hadn't expected him to be gone. He usually stuck close to house unless the school board was having a meeting.

"Nah. Can't keep an eye on things in a closed space. I'll be right out here. Gonna do a walk around, get to know the place."

Avery nodded and headed around the house. Normally Ted would be on the back deck reading, but not with the rain falling steadily. Avery went to the door and let herself in. "Hey Dad!" She called out, glancing around the kitchen. Other than the tick of the clock it was pretty quiet. Ted tended to like it that way. He didn't usually bother with the TV unless it was raining and he was watching a movie. But there was no TV noise. No lights were on either. The light was gray through the house. The power wasn't out. She could hear the hum of the fridge and the soft thump of the air conditioning kicking on.

"Dad?" Avery called again as she went into the living room. Something cold pressed into the side of her neck as she moved past the fridge and paused in the doorway.

"Afternoon, Ms. Landry." Walls was standing there, small handgun pointed at her throat. Avery looked back at him, somehow utterly unsurprised. Like part of her had been expecting this. She figured it had to be shock again.

"Where's my dad?" Avery asked. Walls smiled but it didn't touch his eyes.

"Don't you worry about that. You've brought a lot of trouble into my town."

"I can't take all the credit for that. You helped." Avery couldn't believe that sarcasm was once again rearing its head. She blamed it on being tired. She knew she was provoking him but couldn't seem to help it. She also couldn't let herself think about her dad. She needed to stay focused.

"True. And it was a good long run, wasn't it? Too bad, I don't see a way out if it now." Walls sighed but it was done more for dramatic effect. "I already know there's no way out of here for me. You could holler for the kid that drove you in to come help, but I'll shoot you for the effort. Then maybe shoot him when he comes in. More likely scenaria, he'll end up killing me because he's younger and faster. I _could_ just let you walk out of here..." He waited to see her response. Avery merely looked at him, expression unchanged. "If I thought you'd take your trooper friend and go, and not tell anybody I was here, I would do it. But we both know better."

"And that's not what you what. So..." Avery dragged the word out.

"What I want..." He emphasized the word by poking her in the neck with the cold barrel of the gun. "If for you to call Calaway. Get him down here. Then I can end them for all of us."

"What is your problem with him, anyway?"

"Just need to finish teachin' that snot nosed brat a lesson. One I thought he learned a long time ago." Walls was looking at her again. Studying her. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Don't know what?" Avery braced for it. Whatever it is, Walls meant to use it to shock her. Which meant she could already assume it would not be true.

"We wanted Calaway to be one of us, of course. Took him through all the steps. Toughened him up. And then on the night of his first kill, he folded like a cheap suit. Went runnin' to you, didn't he?" Walls snorted. "Figured. Always tended to be somethin' of a momma's boy. Which is why we picked her for him to take out."

To her credit, Avery didn't even raise an eyebrow. She refused to take the bait, to fall for it. "He won't come out here."

"Of course he will. If you ask him _nicely_." At the word he slid the gun down her skin until it was pressed, hard, against the side of her breast.

"I did ask him. _Nicely_." Avery mimicked his tone. "He has to go back to Houston."

Walls tilted his head and stared at her. That empty, nobody home stare again. "Lyin' doesn't suit you, _Ms. Landry_." He spat the name out at her.

"I'm not lying. His bosses told him he had to. For press conferences or publicity or something."

"I know better. He's in town. Questioning some of the deputies."

"He might be. All I know is that he left an hour before I did. I didn't get his itenarary."

"Let's find out, shall we?" Walls wasn't wavering. He wouldn't believe it until he heard it himself. "Consider yourself under arrest, Ms. Landry. You get one phone call. Fuck it up, I will shoot you in the head. I don't want to." At that he dragged the gun up along the side of her breast to rest on her neck again. "Guns aren't really my purview. A little too impersonal. But at least Calaway would hear you die. Which will have the same effect to get him here if you ask my opinion. So play nice. I just want Calaway. You...I'll let you walk away as soon as he gets here."

"Now look who's lying." Avery said softly. "Call him yourself. You honestly think he won't show up here once he knows where you are?" She knew Walls wouldn't do that. He wanted to have the element of surprise on his side. And he couldn't very well do that if he were the one issuing the undeclinable invitation to Mark.

"Mm. And bring down the state police on my head? I'm not quite ready for that." Again the gun moved and pressed into her breast. Avery frowned but didn't make a noise as he dug the barrell into her. "Last chance, Ms. Landry. The phone is right there on the table. I know Calaway keeps a cell phone on him."

Avery glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen table. Sure enough, her dad's cordless was there. Probably because Walls had put it there in anticipation. She doubted he'd had time to check the place to make sure there wouldn't be any surprises. She knew of one that Ted kept handy. Nothing so helpful as a gun though. But if she was fast enough it just might help.

And lord help her, she couldn't help but mess with him again. It was like she was being controlled by an outside force.

"Couple of things you might want to consider, Travis." She would have smiled at the way his eyes narrowed when she used his name. "First, the trooper outside is going to think it's weird that my dad and I would sit here in the dark for so fucking long." She could see the way _that_ observation hit him. And while he was distracted, she slid a hand along the wall, behind the fridge, and felt her fingers brush smooth wood. Some things never changed. While her dad hadn't minded guns, Suzanne had absolutely refused to have them in the house. So Ted had compromised. Kind of. Avery wrapped her fingers around the handle of the baseball bat that her dad had tucked behind the fridge, just in case it would come in handy.

Walls was reaching for the light switch over his shoulder. Avery didn't give him time to flick it. As soon as the gunshifted and moved off of her breast, she pulled the bat out from its hiding spot and turned, swinging it upward. She wouldn't have time for a proper swing but she figured if she could put enough energy into it...

There was a satisfying, solid thump as the bat struck the underside of the wrist that held the gun. Walls cried out hoarseley and impusively squeezed, firing off a shot. Avery would have sworn she felt the wind from the bullet as it went wide, missing her by inches, blowing out one of the living room windows. She had hoped he'd drop the gun but his instinct to hold on had won out. She didn't give him time to correct. She took off running for the back door.


	29. Chapter 29

29.

Her options were to run around the front, hoping that Tom the Trooper was back from his walkaround. Or cut into the woods and hide out. So stay close to the house and risk Walls shooting her from the windows or risk running across open yard and getting shot in the back for her trouble. Even in her head, the sarcasm was unmistakable.

Surely Tom had heard the gunshot. The gun was small but it had been loud. And the shattering window wasn't necessarily quiet either. Before she realized it, she was heading for the trees. Hopefully she got enough of a headstart to get past the first few. She heard the pop of a gun behind her and instinctively ducked low, sprinting to get behind a decent sized pine tree. There was an answering pop of gunfire, and Avery puzzled over that for a moment before realizing it must have been Tom, returning fire. Maybe they were shooting at each other. She only hoped he'd thought to call it in before going after Walls.

She made it into the treeline and slipped on wet pine needles. It was still raining a fine mist. Which was good. In the growing darkness it meant it was even harder to see. Again she had a choice. Run around the long way back toward the road? The drive was nearly a quarter mile. The road wasn't busy especially at night in the rain. She could also cut due east and should run into a neighbor but Avery couldn't remember if they were closer to the water or set back on a hill. Her mind wasn't fully processing.

Of course there was always the lake.

Ted's house sat on one of the narrow inlets. It would be a simple thing to swim the couple hundred yards to the other side. But she'd still have a hell of a hike to get to help, and she remembered Mark's files. All of those good swimmers who had managed to drown. She didn't want to play into that. Not unless she had no other options.

Another pop rang out behind her. She heard a thump as the bullet hit a tree to her right. So Walls was still coming. And faster than she thought. She went to the left and realized that the water might be her only option. If she kept going straight she was going to run ito a 30 foot drop off with sludgy lakewater at the bottom, a nod to flood prevention. There were a few of the manmade ravines scattered around the lake, and one very large flood plain on the unusual side. She could try to jump it – it might have been ten feet wide – but Avery wasn't going to risk running for her life just to die from a fall into a hole in the ground. A hole she knew was coming.

Lucky for her, she was a stronger swimmer than a runner. And she hadn't lost all of her dancer-like traits. She could swim fast when she wanted to. Avery paused at the water's edge long enough to kick her shoes off then plunged in, diving when the water hit her knees. She came up gasping. The big lake was much colder than the pond. It took long for the deeper water to warm up. The rain didn't help.

And that didn't matter. Avery swam. She heard another pop from behind her but couldn't tell if it had been close. She dived under and swam as long as her breath held out. After the run through the winds, it wasn't long but it got her further from the shore. She had thought maybe Walls wouldn't follow her. He was the sheriff, a cop, but he was nearly twice her age and out of shape. The most exercise she thought he'd taken upon himself was the walk to and from his car.

The sound of a small boat moter surprised her but at the same time made perfect sense. She only wondered where he had stashed the damned thing. As it got closer, she pondered her calm thoughts. And took a small amount of comfort in the fact that he couldn't very well shoot at her while piloting a boat by himself. She was just past the halfway point, trying to remember how deep the water was out here, wondering if there was a current working against her. And the engine noise grew louder with every passing second.

Avery stopped swimming and turned. Walls was getting closer. He had a flashlight he was erratically moving. Looking for her. When it turned in her direction Avery took a deep breath and let herself sink. Once again she stayed under for as long as her lungs would allow. She came up and forced herself to take slow breaths, trying to be quiet. The boat was slowing and the light was pointing off to the side. Avery was trying to find the energy to make a last ditch effort at the other shore when the flashlight turned and landed on her.

The boat engine roared. Avery didn't think. She dived. She felt vibrations as the boat passed where she had been. It was damn near pitch black under the water. She swam, once more moving toward the shore, until her lungs refused to be denied oxygen. She had to surface.

The boat had missed her, but Walls was only fifteen yards away. He didn't have his gun in his hand, only the flashlight. He was looking for her again. "Avery..." He called out her name, softly. "You played right into this. I like it better this way. All I have to do is wait until you get tired. I won't even have to get my hands dirty." He turned toward her. Avery was momentarily blinded by the light. The nearer shore was still fifty yards away and Walls was between her and the rocky strip of beach.

Which meant the water couldn't be as deep as it was in the middle.

Avery took a few deep breaths, gearing up to dive. The boat engine purred softy as he moved closer to where she was treading water. She knew she only had one chance at this so she took a huge breath and dived again. This time she pushed against the water until her fingers touched bottom. It was at least twenty feet. Not horrible, but the inky blackness of the water and the remembrance of so many killed in it nearly undid her resolve.

She fumbled for a few moments, feeling her natural buoyancy trying to pull her upward. And her fingers finally hit upon a rock. Heavy but not huge. She palmed it and wrapped her fingers around it. It would work if she had a chance to use it. Something else brushed against her arm and she would have screamed had she been able. Her free hand swatted outward and it bumped her fingers. Rope. Or netting. She grabbed it and pulled, feeling it snag on something on the bottom. It didn't matter. She had to get some air. She pushed off from the bottom and felt the net give but not fall apart in her hand. The rock made it harder to swim but she only had to go up.

Avery surfaced and sputtered, coughing, trying to drag in a deep lungful of water. A rough hand tangled into her wet hair and made her scream breathlessly as Walls tried to lift her out of the water into the boat.

She didn't give him time to do more than puller her hair. She swung her arm, the one with the rock, and caught him on his unprotected temple. He'd thought she had dived to try to go under him. Not that she'd been hunting up a weapon. Avery felt something warm spread over her fingers. She knew the rock had stunned him, maybe had hurt him, but it hadn't stopped him. His fingers were still in her hair, pulling.

So she slung the arm with the rope net up. With him pulling up, and Avery deadweighting, Walls had no choice but to lean over. The boat rocked precariously, almost turning over. But it lowered him down enough that she got the rope around his neck. She grabbed it and pulled, dropping the rock to put all of her weight into it, until he lost his footing and fell into the cold water of the lake.

She barely had time to take a breath before she was pulled under with him. Walls was heavy, wearing his shoes and his uniform, including his belt with the holster, handcuffs, and a dozen other items. She felt them sinking. His grip loosened in her hair and Avery finally got free of him. But she didn't swim up, not yet. Instead she felt for the rope netting and grabbed it, risking swimming closer to wrap it around his neck a second time. Whatever it was snagged on held tight. Once she took up the slack and wrapped it a third time, there was no more give to the line.

It had to be good enough. She couldn't hold in her breath any longer. Avery kicked toward the surface, feeling Walls groping for something to hold on to as she moved past him, panicked fingers scratching at her shirt, her legs. He briefly caught her ankle but Avery anticipated it, kicking back fiercly and catching what she thought was probably his chin or nose with her heel. And then she was free. She popped to the surface with a nearly screaming intake of air, almost sobbing as she paddled the few feet to the boat where the engine still idled. It took four tried for her tired arms to pull the rest of her weight into the boat. Once she got in, she lay on the floor of the small craft, unable to catch her breath, feeling the misting rain falling on her and not caring.

Avery was too tired to even bother crawling to the boat moter and aiming it back toward her dad's place. Whoever had said exercise released feel good endorphins had obviously never run for their lives. She knew that it was a different thing but her tired mind was trying to make a joke. She laughed weakly. Exhausted, head throbbing from having her hair pulled, sides aching from exertion. She as going to be sore as hell in th emorning. Avery laughed again, not caring that it sounded crazy. She didn't even care if Walls came back up like a murdered at the end of a cheesy horror flick. She just wanted to sleep.

And she must have dozed. When she opened her eyes briefly, it was still dark out but there were voices. Lots of them. And then Mark was picking her up and cradling her close to his chest. He was talking but Avery couldn't hear him. They were moving her, from the small boat to something else. She couldn't see it. She was already sleeping again.


	30. Chapter 30

30.

When Avery opened her eyes again she was under a bright white light. She flinched and groaned. And realized that the boat wasn't moving. And then realized she was no longer in the boat. She was in a bed. At the hospital.

The light was situated on the wall above the bed. She fumbled for the call button attached to the railing of her hospital bed and managed to push the green button that would summon a nurse. She was alone. There was no noise except for the soft murmur of voices from the hallway.

She heard the door open so fast it hit the wall behind it. And then Mark was there, standing over her, looking at her with concern and worry on his face.

"Avery...darlin'..." He stumbled for words, gripping her hand in his, finally looking relieved when he saw her eyes were open and she was actually focusing on him.

"Light..." Avery managed to croak the word out. Mark understood her. He reached up and hit a switch and the buzzing fluorescent went dark. Avery sighed in relief. Now the light in the room came from the blinded window. It didn't make her head feel as if needles were being shoved into it.

"You scared me." Mark said softly, putting his hand against her face, kissing her lightly on the forehead, the cheek, then the lips.

"Makes...two...us." She tried to get it out. It sounded funnier in her head. Which still hurt. She gingerly reached up and felt around but couldn't discern a bald spot. Just a very sore scalp.

"Sir, you're going to have to give us room to examine Ms. Landry." One of the nurses was trying to move Mark so they could get to Avery. He hesitated, just long enough for Avery to give him a slight nod. It was fine. They were fine.

He moved back and sat to watch as the doctor and nurse checked Avery over. They asked her a few questions, and she tried to answer but all of the diving and breath-holding and nearly choking on water had made her throat sore as hell. Avery figured it would take a little time.

"I think you're going to be fine." The doctor finally said. He looked from Avery to Mark and back again. "A few bruises. I'm a little worried about some water in the lungs, some exposure issues. We're going to keep you for a couple of days to make sure pneumonia doesn't get it's claws into you. Get some good antibiotics into you, keep you on IV fluids." The doctor trailed off. "You just need to get some rest."

Avery stopped trying to talk. Instead she whispered. "I was resting."

"Real rest." The doctor admonished. "Passing out from exhaustion isn't the same thing. We can't do any sedatives until we know..." But Avery was shaking her head.

"Don't need it." She whispiered it again. "Can I get a drink?" She barely got the words out before Mark was pouring a cup of water from a pitcher by her bed. The doctor excused him and left them alone. Mark helped guide a straw to her mouth and let her take a drink before pulling it away.

"Not too much. You might make yourself sick."

Avery nodded and rested back against the pillow, feeling him wrap her hand in his again. It felt nice. Warm. She was still sleepy. But actual sleepy this time, not edge of dead sleepy. She slipped away again.

A few hours later waking up was a bit easier. Her throat still hurt, and she couldn't seem to stop the cough that had developed, but at least her head had stopped pouding. With Mark's help she sat up in the adjustable hospital bed and drank more water. She could talk a bit more, but kept her voice low. It hurt to use a regular tone.

Sargeant Rogers made an appearance that time. Mark still sat protectfully in the room with her while the other man pulled up a chair from the empty half of the double room.

"Ms. Landry..."

"Avery." She corrected him before he could get going.

Rogers smiled. "Avery. Damn glad to see you're all right. Had us all worried."

"Tougher than I look." She whispered, feeling Mark squeeze her hand.

"You don't have to tell me. I can see that. Just wanted to update you on a couple of things. We're going to need your statement eventually but that can wait." He shifted uncomfortably on the chair. It was way too small for him. "The state trooper that accompanied you to your father's house is going to be fine. Bullet caught his shoulder. He called in a suspicious vehicle when he was doing his walk-through, which alerted us. Heard a gunshot, returened fire. Bullet was through and through. Minimal damage. Cooper is resting down the hall."

Avery snickered at that. It turned into a cough.

"Easy." Mark said, patting her on the back. "What's funny?"

"I just realized. Trooper Cooper." She coughed again, trying not to laugh. She was still tired. It just struck her as funny. Plus she didn't like the way Rogers was hesitating. It meant he had bad news somewhere. And she already knew what it was and did not want to hear it. She wasn't ready.

Rogers was smiling but it was tinged with sorry. He waited until Avery took another drink of water and got herself under control.

"We located Walls's vehicle. The one Cooper called in." Again the smile. Avery only looked back at him, the picture of seriousness. "We found your father's body in the car. He'd been shot."

Avery nodded. Of course she had known. Walls had meant to use her dad's house to torture her, Mark. It wasn't like he'd let Ted live to move back in when it was over. At least he hadn't suffered. Or drowned. Ted had just been in the way. Collateral damage. Avery fought back tears at that. The man she had modeled her entire life after was gone. Both parents in less than a month. She sniffled and felt Mark press a tissue into her hand. He'd been characteristically quiet, just a steady presense at her side. She needed it. She had come to rely on him in so little time it was crazy.

Avery wiped her eyes and sniffled again. Rogers gave her a minute to compose herself.

"Dredged up Walls. This morning. You fucked him up. Pardon the language."

Avery waved that off. She could barely remember what exactly she'd done. Hit him with a rock, yes. That was clear enough.

"Broken wrist. Dislocated jaw. Gash on his temple -" Rogers pointed to his own head. "If he hadn't died in the water he would have died anyway. You bashed him hard enough to rupture the artery. He was bleeding into his brain." He didn't sound accusing. He sounded impressed.

Avery had a moment to wonder about that. She had done that? It had felt as if she'd barely tapped him, both with the bat and the rock. There was something to be said for adrenaline.

"Unofficially...you did good." Rogers said softly. "Better than some of my troopers would have handled it. Officially, given what we're finding out from the deputies that were involved, you aren't going to be charged. Matter of fact, I'm ready to keep your name out of it all together. No reason to hassle you with press when you need to heal up."

Avery was grateful but it seemed unnecessary. Someone would find out. In their town, someone always did.

Rogers left. Nurses came and went. Avery and Mark didn't talk much. Not at first. It didn't seem necessary. He kept hold of her hand. That was enough for her. It wasn't until after dinner – which for her meant a bowl of semi-warm soup – that she decided the quiet was getting on her nerves.

"You're going to miss the reunion." Avery pointed out, keeping her voice low. The soreness was fading but it still hurt to talk much above a whisper. Plus it made her cough.

Mark smiled at that. "I already told you, this was the only reunion I gave a damn about."

"He tried to get me to lure you out there." Her quiet statement wiped the smile off his face. "He really did hate you. He tried to say you were the one that killed your mother."

That seemed to surprise Mark. "Why?"

"To rattle me." Avery shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't tell me anything else. No reason why they were killing people. I half expected some kind of evil plan." She huffed instead of laughing. "I watch too many movies."

"We think he was just mad that I crashed his party." Mark said softly. He brought Avery's hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. "The deputies are still talkin'. Tryin' to save their own asses. Said they did have an initiation kind of thing going on. Killin' transients. Makin' it look like suicides, accidents, drownings. They had a few rackets goin'. Illegal gamblin'. Prostitution. Drugs. They had a hand in everything." He heaved a deep sigh. "You're gonna be seein' a lot of troopers around town for a while. And Rogers is gonna be runnin' things, at least until they can figure out what to do about replacin' the sheriff. But that'll wait until they see how far this shit goes. There were a lot of people involved, a lot of moving parts. And they kept it quiet for so long."

"Small town." Avery said softly. "People know your business but outsiders don't. And people keep secrets." She coughed a little, waving off his offer of water. "I'm fine. It's not as bad as it was."

"I almost lost you." Mark brushed her hair back from her face.

"Almost." Avery admitted. It had been close. Too close. She didn't even want to think about it. "Can you call Jack? I want to see Emily."

"They'll be here in the mornin'." Mark soothed her. "We've been talkin'."

"You and Jack?" Avery asked, not really surprised. They would be discussing the case she supposed.

"Yeah. And me and Emily. Your kid is somethin' else. Reminds me of you. Got a lot of fire in her."

Avery scoffed at that. "Me?"

"Even after this, you're still doubtin' how amazin' you are." Mark shook his head. But he was smiling again. "I'm gonna work on fixin' that."

"If you say so." Avery sighed and leaned her head back against the pillow. She was worn out again. And hurting. But it was a dull ache. She wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed. And try to put all of this craziness behind her.


	31. Chapter 31

31.

"It looks cold outside. Call off school."

Avery laughed from her seat at the table. Emily was at the back door, looking out over the yard. A layer of frost covered everything. "You only have two days until Christmas break. I think you'll survive. And we can't cancel school for it being nippy out. That's not how it's ever worked. Besides that...it would be the school board's call not mine."

"These midterms are killin' me." Emily finally turned from the window and took a seat across from her mom to eat breakfast. It was just past seven. This was their usual routine.

"You're doing great." Avery finished off her toast.

"I know. It doesn't mean I have to like it. Don't forget, we have to pick up my dress this afternoon."

"I'm aware. You only left about 90 sticky notes around the house."

"I can't help it I'm excited. Do you know how hard it was to talk Evan into taking me to this dance?"

"I'm sure it took all of 30 seconds." Avery said with a laugh.

"What took 30 seconds?" Mark asked, walking into the kitchen. He bent and kissed Avery before pouring himself a cup of coffee and taking a seat to eat breakfast.

Emily watched their morning ritual with the hint of a smile on her face. Avery knew it had been strange at first but her daughter was adaptable. Plus she got the feeling that Emily liked having Mark around. Especially after the things that had happened in the spring.

He never did go back to Houston. His superiors insisted, and Mark resolutely resigned. Avery tried to talk him out of it. But he wouldn't be moved. He was too much into the investigation here. And he refused to leave her while she was dealing with her father's funeral.

That had been an interesting few months. Known victims were exhumed. Examined by state medical examiners. Reburied. More cases were built against Walls, a handful of his deputies, even the mayor. Avery wouldn't have believed he had it in him if not for the evidence she had seen with her own eyes. They were closing missing persons cases from a dozen different states based on the information Mark and Leah had put together.

Most important for Mark, they reopened his mother's death at his request. He opted out of being present for the exhumation and Avery didn't blame him a bit. They trusted Rogers, who came back the next day to inform them that they had found evidence that Elizabeth had been smothered. Most likely with one of the couch pillows she had been laying on when the EMTs had taken her away. Mark mourned her all over again. But they finally had their answer. Rob had killed her when Mark had been gone with his friends that senior skip day. And he'd waited for him to come home so he could shock him with it. They hadn't expected Mark to fight them.

Avery buried her father next to her mother. She was hoping for something simple and small for the service, but she underestimated Ted's popularity. He had been well loved. There were students and staff and family that he had touched in some way going back almost 50 years. So Avery ended up going to the reunion after all since most of her classmates had shown up to pay their respects.

She and Emily had debated for a few weeks, about selling the house and leaving. Moving somewhere else. Avery's aversion to the house faded after a bit; she hadn't killed Williams just because she felt like it. The man had been coming with the intent to do harm. He'd gotten what he deserved.

It only took a few sessions with a psychologist for Avery to finally get that through her head. Her odd detachment through what had happened scared her. But the therapist was not worried. Fight or flight. Avery had fought because that was in her nature. She was a survivor.

It was Emily who finally decided that they should stay. She loved the house, she didn't want to change schools right before junior year, she didn't want to move to a whole new town or start over. Unlike Avery, who had heard rumors and whispers and had chosen to ignore, Emily faced things head on. If someone whispered about her or her mother, she would confront it. It got her into a few arguments but nothing she couldn't handle. And the rumors died down. The town had way bigger things to deal with than what was going on at the Landry house.

Staying meant they had to make some change though. They had cleaned and painted, had replaced furniture. Avery stopped herself short of doing a full remodel on the kitchen and the bathrooms. She had no doubt she could handle it but she undersood the redecorating for what it was. Remaking the place so they could make new memories.

"Getting a boy to ask me out." Emily shot her mother a mock sour look. "Do you understand how hard it is to go out on dates when your stepfather is the sheriff? I practically had to blackmail him."

Avery grinned. "Nope. I have no idea what you're talking about." She heard Mark snort beside her. He remembered. She doubted if Emily would have the same issues she'd had as a teenager, no matter who the grown men in her life were. Emily wasn't a wallflower as her mother had been.

The two biggest changes had happened in the fall. She and Mark were married. They didn't bother with anything fancy. Just them and Emily and a judge from the next county over. And then a week later, Rogers had informed them that the town wanted to officially offer Mark position of interim sheriff. He had balked. He didn't know if he even still wanted to do police work. Rogers had insisted. Besides, it was only temporary until the town held an election.

The problem was, no one wanted to run for sheriff against Mark. Not that he ran. But people encouraged him to stay on. So he reluctantly took over the office. At first he hated it. He didn't mind cleaning up Walls's mess, firing deputies, hiring new ones. It was being in charge of so much. And so publicly.

Eventually he settled into it. And then he set about cleaning up the town. Emily made jokes about Mark being the town's version of a Clint Eastwood cowboy, but it rang true. All of the rackets that Walls had going were wiped out. New businesses were starting to ask about possibly building in the area. And there was some talk about a small neighborhood of homes being built near the lake.

Mark had an aversion to wearing the uniform that the deputies sported. Avery had seen pictures of him in his police uniform in Houston. No amount of swooning over him had swayed him. No one was going to deny the man the right to wear whatever he wanted. Mostly he stuck to jeans and button down shirts.

The plan was just to do it long enough until somebody more qualified came along. Mark wasn't comfortable being in the public eye. Most of the public didn't care. They liked him. Kids especially liked him. He was more approachable than walls had been. Mark didn't mind doing some of the programs that the schools ran. Avery thought that was probably his favorite part of the job.

Avery was still principal at the elentary school. There had been rumors that she was going to be offered the job at the high school when the current principal moved on the next year. She doubted she would take it. While she was a daddy's girl at heart, she really did not have his way with teenagers. The discipline. She liked the elemntary kids. After working with them for so long she understood them.

She'd healed up just fine after her ordeal. She did get pneumonia, but it was minor. She had a lot of bruises. She couldn't even remember where most of them came from. A few she did. The one on the side of her breast – that was was pretty clear. It was where Williams had dug the gun into her.

Whatever she'd gotten from him, she'd given him much worse. Avery still couldn't believe she'd done so much damage to the man. It had felt like nothing at the time. Adrenaline was a hell of a thing. But she'd be happy if she never had to reach that level of scared to death ever again.

Avery half-listened to Mark and Emily as they chatted through breakfast. It had become sort of a family ritual for them. Supper was a little harder to get the three of them together; sometiems Avery had to stay after school. Or Emily worked at the dance studio. Or Mark had to finish things up down at the sheriff's station. They all made it a point to start the day together.

"I gotta head out. Gonna be late." Mark finished off his coffee and carried his dishes to the sink. "You want a ride to school?" He asked Emily as she pulled her jacket on.

"Oh god. Yes please. I'll just ramble up to the front door in the sheriff's SUV. That'll help my popularity." Emily's voice dripped a mixture of sweetness and sarcasm.

"I could escort you to class if you keep at it." Mark joked with her. He winked at Avery. She smiled back serenely. "Here. You can drive." He tossed his keys toward Emily.

"Really?" She dropped all sarcastic pretense. Emily had recently gotten her permit and had been begging to practice.

"Clear the streets." Avery deadpanned.

"Mom." Emily dragged the word out. She would be turning 17 soon and was really hoping for a car. Jack had already told Avery he was fine with it. But of course Emily had to get her license first.

"Go warm up the truck." Mark smirked as he pulled on his own jacket. Emily grabbed her backpack and practically flew out the kitchen door. "That was easy."

"She's easily appeased." Avery finished clearing the table and turned, finding herself caught in Mark's arms. She laughed when he bent down and kissed her breathless. When he finally came up for air, his eyes had gone a darker shade she recognized. And responded to. Together day and night for months and she still couldn't seem to get enough of him. Even better, he couldn't seem to get enough of her. "You're going ot be late."

"Yeah well. Priorities." He kissed her one more time. "Love you."

"Love you too." Avery said it right back with a grin. From the driveway came the impatient honk of a horn. They both laughed. "You created this monster. You deal with it." She pushed him toward the door. He went, albeit reluctantly.

It was funny, how things had worked out. What they had lost, what they had gained. But they'd managed to find each other. In the end that was really all that mattered.

Done! I know I have been gone for what feels like forever, and I am going to try to do better. I forgot how much writing helped me destress. And I impressed myself that this story only took a couple of weeks to write out. I apologize for the typos – I have caught most of them on my copy, I just didn't want to go back and swap out chapters. Plus when you're exhausted, it's hard to edit. Hope you enjoyed this very random story. Off to start the next one!


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